Warriors Claim Title in Home Invite

LINCOLN, Neb. – Midland University hosted its annual Warrior Invite over the weekend at the Lincoln Trap and Skeet Club. After three days of competition, the Warriors took first place in team HOA over 14 other schools.

"Going into this shoot, we knew (Fort) Hays wanted to get some revenge from their home shoot, and the other teams competing wanted to make a statement," said head coach Jake McThenia. "We as a team had to defend our home and these athletes rose to the occasion and did exactly that and in a convincing fashion."

Midland recorded a score of 1410, taking first place while William Penn University was second at 1396 and Fort Hays State University took third at 1391. Leading the way for Midland was Mason Andelin with a score of 286. Audric Scheidel shot a 283. Grayson Stuart recorded a 281. Braydon Bliss, Michael Martinez and Devin Huguenot all shot 280's.

In the HOA Individual competition, William Penn's Trenton Giese took first with a 289 after recording 94 in Trap, 100 in Skeet and 95 in Sporting Clays. Midland's Andelin was second overall at 286 with 95 in Trap, 99 in Skeet, and 92 in Sporting Clays.

In the Trap team competition, Midland finished first with a 490. Audric Scheidel, Grayson Stuart, Brayden Bliss, Atley Palmer, and Chase Carrere all recorded 98's. William Penn was second at 482 and Fort Hays State was third at 479.

William Penn claimed the Skeet team competition with a 494. Midland was second at 493 and Fort Hays State took third at 491. For Midland, Mason Andelin, Cole Kennedy, and Michael Martinez shot 99's. Devin Huguenot, Dalton Blaha, Chase Carrere, and Hunter Martin recorded 98's.

Midland secured the team title by winning the Sporting Clays crown. The Warriors shot a 449. William Penn was second at 445 and Fort Hays State was third at 436. For Midland, Mason Andelin shot a 92. Ben Swanson recorded a 90. Devin Huguenot, Audric Scheidel, Grayson Stuart, and Josh Randall shot 89s.

"Line games like American Trap and American Skeet always come down to a target or two in both team and individual," Coach McThenia said. "Skeet proved that to be true when we lost by one to William Penn. Then we were able to come back on Saturday on Sporting Clays and posted up some solid scores to help us get back ahead. American Trap on Sunday was tough with the windy conditions but we were able to grab another team win. At the end of it all, we claimed the team HOA, and that goes to show how dedicated this team is to achieving the ultimate goal.

"We have a short preparation week this week before we leave for the conference championship on Thursday. This will be another big test for us, but I know this team is more than capable of handling business with the preparation we are doing and the mindset we have."

Midland will be back in action this weekend at the Prairie Circuit Conference Championship. The three-day event gets underway on Friday, September 27 in North Platte, Nebraska.