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The Centurion Clay Target team participated in the USA Clay Target Trap National Championship held on November 2 and 3 in Bunker Hill, Ill., and achieved notable results. The first day featured partially cloudy skies with wind speeds ranging from 10 to 15 mph. In contrast, the second day presented more challenging conditions, including mist and gusts reaching up to 25 mph.

After the first day of competition,听Jack McBride, a freshman, emerged as the overall leader, successfully hitting 99 out of 100 targets, including a remarkable reverse run of 89 consecutive targets.

Chase Merritt, a freshman, ranked tenth with a score of 96, while McBride tied for twelfth with a score of 95.

Merritt expressed his thoughts on the event. "I felt that the competition went very well. The experience was quite positive, and the facility at the gun club was excellent. I look forward to returning and hopefully bringing home more awards."

At the conclusion of the championship,听Evan Plonka, McBride and two other competitors were tied for second place with scores of 194 out of 200 targets. The tiebreaker, which considered the reverse run, resulted in Plonka securing third place and McBride placing fifth in the gold division.

The competition featured two divisions鈥攇old and silver鈥攄etermined by each shooter's league average, with gold division participants requiring an average of over 22 out of 25 throughout the year. Merritt concluded the event ranked 17th overall in the gold division with a score of 190.听Azariah Trumble, a freshman, competed in the silver division finishing 15th with a score of 176.

McBride reflected on his experience at the national championship. "I believe my first nationals shoot went well. While the windy conditions were challenging, it was still a good venue for shooting," he said.

During the tournament, the team was proud to accept their league championship trophy, having outperformed rivals North Dakota State (2nd place) and Concordia of Wisconsin (3rd place). Individual accolades for the season were awarded to Merritt for achieving 2nd place in the conference with an average of 23.7, and McBride, who received 3rd place with a conference average of 23.4.

Plonka shared his insights on the team's performance and future aspirations.

"I would say the results from the first nationals were satisfactory. I was one bird short of matching my high school nationals score out of 200, but factoring in practice, I averaged 24.4 this weekend, which I am pleased with. Overall, the team performed well, and while the experience differed from the high school nationals, it was still very enjoyable. I am optimistic about competing for a team trophy next year. With our current coaching staff and the potential retention of this year's freshmen, I believe we can establish a strong team reputation nationally," he said.

Assistant coach Chris Henry is extremely proud of the team's performance.

"As a group, this is the best we have shot all season. We hope to maintain this momentum heading into the Michigan Collegiate Championships at Hillsdale this Saturday," he said.

The team will travel to Hillsdale College on Saturday, Nov. 9, to conclude the fall season with aspirations for podium finishes in both trap and skeet events, starting at 9:00 a.m.

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