For the second time in Southwest trap team history, a National Championship trophy has made its home in Washburn.
The Trojans’ first national championship came to the high school team in 2009. Now, nine years later, it is the junior high program that brought home the AIM Grand National Title, held annually at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Ill.
The team of Ty Howard, Olivia Ayer, Samuel Jennings, Caleb Ayer and Joseph Stockton, along with alternates Colton Phillips and Alex Ramirez, hit a total of 874 of the 1,000 targets to take first in the 36-team field spanning the U.S and Canada.
Howard led the team in targets, breaking 190/200 over the two-day competition, followed by a 183 and a 172 from Jennings and Ayer, respectively.
The trio of shooters will be a nice addition to the high school squad next year according to Coach Mike Vining.
“After the first day, we were tied for the lead, [hitting] 429 of 500 targets,” Vining said. “Assistant Coach Larry Hicks and I met with the team that evening in the hotel. I debated whether to let them know where they stood and possibly cause them to tighten up the next day, or to not tell them and hope for the best on day two.
Following their coaches’ advice the team dominated the second day of shooting.
The Trojans have been close in recent history to capturing a second high school national title, but they believe the future now is as bright as it has been since 2009.
The Trojan high school team of Heather Windes, Dylan Morgan, Emily Snyder, Hunter Stanley and Leland Colf represented Southwest well in their toughest competition of the season, according to their coach.
“Every shooter on the squad shot several good rounds throughout Nationals, but we couldn’t get things going on day one as a team,” Vining said. “Larry and I met with them after the first day’s round as well just to give them a chance to clear their heads and be ready for day two.
Southwest graduates one senior off the current roster in Emily Snyder.
Vining has already begun the process of assessing what he could have done better and what he needs to do to get the team back to the nation’s largest stage next year.