Comets Bring the Gnome Home at Annual Rivalry Match!
LANSING, Mich. – The University of Olivet clay target team claimed victory in the 5th Annual "Great Gnome-Off" against the Michigan State University Shooting Sports Club on Saturday, November 1, at Capital Area Sportsmen's League.
The morning started off early and chilly, but once the sun came out, the competition heated up! The event featured 50 targets each in Trap, Skeet, and 5-Stand, testing the athletes' skill. This was our second competition of the season, but the pressure was on Olivet having won the gnome the last two years in a row and we wanted to keep that streak going for a third year!
We were excited to have a number of family members of the athletes joining us once again to cheer us on throughout the day. They even joined us for lunch after the time on the fields while the scores were being tallied. They are our biggest supporters travelling to all of our events and always showing the red and white Comet PRIDE!
Trap Competition
The trap events kicked off the day with strong performances across all squads.
- Squad 1: 212/250 — Tyler Wildman, Olivia Krauss, Tyler Chatell, Kaitlin Dyer, and Matthew Brown
- Squad 2: 211/250 — Hunter Ambrosen, Desmond Morrison, Dallas Goodridge, Haley Oosterhouse, and Abi Kruger
- Squad 3: 173/200 — Dalton Clark, Whitley Olson, Eric Wilson, and Serenity Thomas
The First Place Trap Squad (Super Squadding) finished with an impressive 232/250, led by Tyler Chatell (48), Hunter Ambrosen (46), Dallas Goodridge (46), Dalton Clark (46), and Whitley Olson (46).
Skeet Competition
The Comets maintained their momentum on the skeet field.
- Squad 1: 219/250 — Tyler Wildman, Olivia Krauss, Tyler Chatell, Kaitlin Dyer, and Matthew Brown
- Squad 2: 181/250 — Hunter Ambrosen, Desmond Morrison, Dallas Goodridge, Haley Oosterhouse, and Abi Kruger
- Squad 3: 130/200 — Dalton Clark, Whitley Olson, Eric Wilson, and Serenity Thomas
The First Place Skeet Squad (Super Squadding) earned 224/250, with top contributions from Tyler Wildman (48), Olivia Krauss (46), Hunter Ambrosen (45), Kaitlin Dyer (44), and Tyler Chatell (41).
5-Stand Competition
Competition wrapped up on the 5-Stand field, where the Comets finished strong.
- Squad 1: 218/250 — Tyler Wildman, Olivia Krauss, Tyler Chatell, Kaitlin Dyer, and Matthew Brown
- Squad 2: 157/250 — Hunter Ambrosen, Desmond Morrison, Dallas Goodridge, Haley Oosterhouse, and Abi Kruger
- Squad 3: 112/200 — Dalton Clark, Whitley Olson, Eric Wilson, and Serenity Thomas
The First Place 5-Stand Squad (Super Squadding) totaled 225/250, with Tyler Chatell (48), Matthew Brown (46), Tyler Wildman (45), Olivia Krauss (45), and Hunter Ambrosen (41) leading the way.
When all scores were combined, The University of Olivet clay target team secured a decisive team victory, defeating the Michigan State shooting sports club, 681 to 612. It was an impressive performance from start to finish — and most importantly, it meant one thing:
The Gnome is coming home to The University of Olivet!
The Comets are proudly bringing 'Knutey', the traveling gnome trophy back to Olivet.
