By Ace Grado / Staff Writer

The Missouri Valley College shooting sports team finished second in the Division II High Overall standings at the ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships, held this week in San Antonio, Texas. The team was led by a historic performance from freshman Olivia Simmons of Flower Mound, Texas.

Simmons became the first individual in program history to win national titles at the championship, taking first place in both skeet with a score of 94 and double skeet with an 88.

The Vikings also placed third in American trap with a team total of 491. Senior Charlie Maddox and freshman Lodden Axtell each recorded scores of 99, while Blayne Kolb, Boe Caplan and Jack Duffin contributed to the strong team finish.

Missouri Valley totaled 1,375 points across skeet (462), trap (491) and sporting clays (422), trailing only Georgia Southern, which claimed the overall title with 1,425.

Simmons reflected on her achievement following the competition.

“I’m extremely proud of the title I earned, which shows how hard I worked toward it and all the effort I put in,” Simmons said. “I’m excited because every win in this sport brings more recognition to American skeet and skeet doubles—and to the shotgun program.”

Looking ahead, Simmons shared her goals for the rest of her collegiate career.

“I’m excited to see how the next three years go. I’m always going to look forward to nationals because it’s the biggest tournament we have,” she said. “I also look forward to helping incoming freshmen the way current team members helped me with the huge transition from high school tournaments to the bigger ACUI tournaments.”

With a record-breaking performance and a young core of talent, the future looks bright for Missouri Valley’s shotgun program—one shot at a time.