Warriors Finish Third at Simpson Invite

WAUKEE, Iowa – Midland University faced stellar competition at the Simpson Invite this weekend at the Pioneer Gun Club in Waukee, Iowa. After two days of shooting, the Warriors finished third out of eight teams.

In HOA team scoring, William Penn University took first with a score of 1660 while Lindenwood University was second at 1659. Midland placed third with a score of 1657.

"To lose by one to the reigning division one champs in Lindenwood, and by three to a really good William Penn squad was encouraging," said head coach Jake McThenia.

The Warriors claimed a pair of individual champions. Sarah Sjoberg took first in American Skeet, breaking all 100 targets. Sjoberg claimed the title by winning a shootout.

"For Sarah to win in a shootout was great for her first win," said Coach McThenia.

In the Super Sporting Clays competition, Cole Kennedy claimed the title with a score of 49. McThenia talked about Kennedy's resiliency.

"That was great for Cole. Earlier, he did not have his best performance in Sporting Clays, which is his best event. He was frustrated. To see him put that behind him and take the Super Sporting, showed his competitiveness."

Highlighting some other individual performances: Andy Grell, Atley Painter, Devin Huguenot, Gil Palmer, and Grayson Stuart all recorded 99s in Trap. Brayden Bliss shot an 89 in the Sporting Clays competition.

"This meet was good for us," said McThenia. "To face the quality of competition in an environment that our kids were not too familiar with, plus deal with the humidity on Saturday, will help us grow as the season progresses."

This weekend Midland will host its annual home event, the Warrior Invitational. The Warriors will welcome in 14 other teams to the Lincoln Trap and Skeet Club for a three-day shoot. Competition will begin Friday, September 20 at 12:00 p.m. The final two days of the event are set for 9:00 a.m. in Lincoln, Nebraska.