A liberal arts school located in St. Charles, Missouri, Lindenwood is coached by Joe Steenbergen, and his team's quick success is part of a defined plan he has laid out. "Lindenwood is determined to become a major competitor in the shooting sports," he said. "We started with shotgun and are now expanding, with a new facility, into precision air rifle competition. But the shotgun program is our foundation and we work hard at making it solid. Don Rayfield -- my assistant and the team's mentor -- and I have been active since the program got underway in 2002, recruiting the best young shooters we can from all the shotgun disciplines. We offer them first-rate educations, scholarships, and an environment in which they can build their individual shooting skills. We cross-train the most promising athletes, introducing them to other shotgun games. Lindenwood team members, class schedules permitting, compete in as many collegiate and organizational shooting events as they are able. Our goal is to be a recognizable group within the shotgun shooting sports in the United States. I think that we are well on our way."

ACUI championships are conducted in five clay target disciplines, American and International Trap and Skeet, and Five-stand Sporting Clays. This year's tournament attracted a record 207 competitors from 21 colleges and universities nationwide. Individuals and teams journeyed from as near as San Antonio's own Trinity University and as far as the University of Wyoming. Lindenwood had the largest representation with 32 shooters, followed by Colorado State University at 29. On the low end, Alabama's Troy State University sent one shooter who, it turned out, earned star billing.

ACUI recognizes high-scoring shooters in the aggregate of the four trap and skeet disciplines as well as in separate events. This year's top aggregates went to Lindenwood for team events, and to Mark Weeks, the single representative of Troy State, for a high overall score of 334 out of 350. In women's ranks, there was an unbreakable, weather-induced, tie. Nivia Jones, representing Lindenwood, and last year's high woman, Laura Kolb of Lamar University, each posted aggregate scores of 316.

NRA, whose Collegiate and Schools Department co-sponsors the tournament, presented awards to P.J. Gowin and Brad Deauman, the winning competitors in International Trap and International Skeet, and announced the names of young athletes selected as NRA Collegiate All-Americans. For 2004, two students, Sheldon Benge and Bryan Stuntebeck, both from Lindenwood University, were named Clay Target All-Americans.

In addition, NRA announced the names of college coaches selected for special recognition. Selections for Distinguished College Coaches for 2004 included Gary DeBoy, rifle coach at Jacksonville State University, and James Sweeney, pistol coach at Ohio State. Awards for Outstanding Service to the Collegiate Shooting Sports went to Duston Saunders, pistol coach at the United States Military Academy, and Jim Thorp, rifle coach at the Virginia Military Institute.

For more information on NRA Collegiate Shooting Programs, contact Victoria Croft, Manager, Collegiate and Schools Department, by phone at (703) 267-1473, or by e-mail at collegiate@nrahq.org.

For complete scores and results from the 2004 ACUI Clay Target Championships, watch future issues of Shooting Sports USA.

Photo caption: Mark Weeks of Troy State University was the High Individual Overall Winner at the 2004 ACUI Clay Target Championships. Photo by J.B. Roberts, Jr.