{"id":72558,"date":"2023-04-12T14:55:02","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T19:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=72558"},"modified":"2023-04-12T14:55:04","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T19:55:04","slug":"fhsu-shotgun-sports-team-wins-back-to-back-national-titles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=72558","title":{"rendered":"FHSU shotgun sports team wins back-to-back national titles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a \u201cchemistry of winning,\u201d the FHSU shotgun sports team\u2019s dedication to their sport and their fellow teammates has made for a highly successful 2022-23 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March alone, the team brought home two Division 2 national championships and won the first-ever Federal Cup being the High Overall Team across all divisions at the National Collegiate Shooting Sports Athletic Association (NCSSAA)  event. During 16 days of shooting and travel, the team competed at the NCSSAA Nationals in Las Vegas, earning five All-American shooters and four honorable mentions. Traveling then to San Antonio for the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate Championship, the team earned nine All-Americans and first place in trap, skeet, skeet doubles, and super sport. In addition, FHSU\u2019s varsity team has been undefeated in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For team members Kyler Niblock, Hoxie sophomore, and Katie Dettmann, Avoca, Neb. senior, the 16-day trip from Las Vegas to San Antonio and winning Division 2  and the federal cup from NCSSAA were highlights for the 2022-23 season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had that goal at the beginning of the year, but to be able to go out and achieve it was something special,\u201d Dettmann said. \u201cWe pushed everybody to be there mentally and physically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team\u2019s dedication has rewarded the students both on the range and off. For Dettmann, being a member of the team has contributed to her drive, passion, and dedication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are always working as a team and wanting to better everybody,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a family. We\u2019re in it together. You are helping everybody, and they are helping you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Niblock said he agreed and added, \u201cThere is a chemistry on our team of winning. Everyone wants to put in the work and wants to win. Everyone has the same goal of winning.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if we are struggling, your teammates will be there to help you, no matter what,\u201d Dettmann said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balancing academics and shooting sports is central to the responsibility taken seriously by team members. Dr. Duane Shepherd, who is an FHSU professor as well as team coach, said he has impressed upon his team members the importance of responsibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shepherd started the shotgun sports team 18 years ago, writing the constitution, bylaws, and working with five young men who desired to compete collegiately. The team has grown over the years, and next fall will start with about 40 team members representing 11 states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese young people have completed a fabulous year in collegiate shotgun sports,\u201d Shepherd said. \u201cThey have overcome several challenges, and it has been a privilege to be a part of their success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cFor years, we were probably the best-kept secret on campus. But the team\u2019s success is all due to the students\u2019 dedication and discipline and reaching the level that it takes to compete. In college, they are up against the top 1 or 2 percent in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team competes collegiately and regionally during the fall semester and in (also in collegiate shoots in the spring) national tournaments during the spring semester. Practice and competition, though, continues through the summer as students travel to different states to compete in state championships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of us are still practicing and staying sharp,\u201d Niblock said. \u201cGetting better as we participate in more competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintaining solid practice habits is central to the team\u2019s success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat mental focus, when everyone\u2019s on the same page, you can help everyone lock in,\u201d Niblock said. \u201cWe saw it during both of our trap events when they shot perfect 500s. When some of the team is really clicking and really focused, it can influence the rest of us. That\u2019s awesome to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the time, if your squad is shooting well, you will shoot well,\u201d Dettmann added. \u201cIt\u2019s one of those things where you feed off each other, and you go with the flow. It\u2019s really about the connection and the chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-one students participated in national competitions this spring. Those students include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Hunter, Hickman, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrett Swenson, Greenfield, Minn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colby Cook, Cushing, Okla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gus Dunbar, Milburn, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hailey Zulkoski, Ord, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hank McVeigh, Lincoln, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jade Chapman, Papillion, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jared Greenwood, Benton, Kan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaden Bryant, Firth, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaden Westfall, Colorado Springs, Colo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katie Dettmann, Avoca, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyler Niblock, Hoxie, Kan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lane Sorensen, Hampton, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lexi Wickham, Goodland, Kan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logan Smith, Burwell, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mason Weller, Palmer, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max Werner, St. George, Kan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick Borchardt, Johnson Creek, Wis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riley Ross, St. Paul, Neb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xander Winchel, Springhill, Kan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zach Beers, Syracuse, Neb.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS With a \u201cchemistry of winning,\u201d the FHSU shotgun sports team\u2019s dedication to their sport and their fellow teammates has made for a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11722],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72559,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72558\/revisions\/72559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}