Top Guns

“As phenomenal as it was for the Georgia Southern Clay Target Team to win its third National Championship in four years, the All-Division American Skeet National Champion was truly a crowning achievement,” said Head Coach and alumnus Marty Fischer (‘74).

The Georgia Southern Clay Target Team soared beyond at the 2024 ACUI/SCTP Collegiate Clay Target Championship by earning the Division II Classic All-American (CAA) and the All-Division American Skeet champion titles in a historic first for the University. 

The student-athletes competed at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas, during the weeklong tournament that drew nearly 1,200 shooters and 106 college teams representing 34 states. 

The team shot a record 497/500 to win the All-Division American Skeet national title. The top shooters for the Eagles were Tate Skipper, Andrew Cohen, Dawson Peek, Jackson Schaaf and Brayden Floyd.

Seniors Skipper and Cohen shot 100/100 scores in American Skeet and were joined by 17 other shooters with perfect scores. Skipper went on to win a head-to-head shoot off earning him first place in High Overall Skeet.

Sophomore Cheyenne Anderson posted a 282/300 total score and claimed second place High Overall Lady in the CAA Division II. She also placed third in sporting clays with a 93/100 score.

Not only was Skipper excited about his win, but he also reflected on the success of the team over the years.

“Throughout the four years at Georgia Southern, we’ve won three national championships, only coming up short last year by just seven targets to finish second,” he said. “It was just great to finish on a really high note and walk off technically being the best in the country at skeet. It was a good feeling.”

Graduating seniors Andrew Weiche, Skipper, Cohen and Neal Sellers were all four-year athletes that will leave Georgia Southern as some of the most decorated student-athletes ever at Georgia Southern.

“We’ve been shooting with this group this whole time,” said Skipper. “We’ve always been very competitive at a high level, and I’ve enjoyed that. Georgia Southern was definitely the right fit for me to be able to go and shoot at a very high level and be with some of my closest friends who are in the shooting world.”