Olympians Vincent Hancock, of Eatonton, Georgia, and Austen Smith, of Keller, Texas, are the USA Shooting 2023 National Men’s and Women’s Skeet Champions.
The competition was also part 1 of the U.S. Olympic Trials for the Paris 2024 Games. The match ran from May 17-22 at the John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center at Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan.
Hancock, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, claimed gold after shooting the overall top score. Hancock qualified for the finals where he placed first, adding an additional three points to his total competition score. Conner Prince, of Burleson, Texas, finished second overall, and Hayden Stewart, (a soldier in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, USAMU), of Columbia, Tennessee, finished third.
Austen Smith, a 2020 Tokyo Olympian, won gold, edging out Dania Vizzi, of Odessa, Florida, who placed second, and Samantha Simonton (USAMU), from Gainesville, Georgia, who finished third.
Junior National Champions were also crowned at the annual competition. Alishia “Fayth” Layne, of Columbia, Tennessee, and Benjamin Keller, of Johnstown, Colorado, earned the Junior Women’s and Men’s titles.
Layne, 2021 Junior World Cup medalist, won gold after besting Madeline Corbin, of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, who placed second, and Gracie Hensley, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, placed third.
Keller, 2022 Junior Men’s Skeet World Champion, earned his gold medal after shooting the top score for Junior Men. Jordan Sapp, of Gilbert, Arizona, was silver, and Aidin Burns, of Ingram, Texas, won bronze.
From left, Sam Simonton, Dania Vizzi, Caitlin Connor, Austen Smith and 6-time Olympian Kim Rhode
The 2023 Pan American Games team, 2023 World Championships team, and 2023 Junior World Championships team were also named based on scores from this competition and a previous match earlier this year. The following athletes will represent America at the competitions.
Pan American Games: Dania Vizzi, Austen Smith, Vincent Hancock, and Dustan Taylor.
World Championships team: Dania Vizzi, Samantha Simonton, Austen Smith, Vincent Hancock, Dustan Taylor, and Christian Elliot.
Junior World Championships team: Alishia “Fayth” Layne, Madeline Corbin, Karsyn Ross, Jessi Griffin, Julia “Lia” Nelson, Aidin Burns, Benjamin Keller, Jordan Sapp, Joshua Corbin, and Kyle Fleck.
The following categories were also awarded medals.
Men 18 and under: Westley Kiter, gold; Shelby Smith, silver; Grant Hernandez, bronze.
Women 18 and under: Karsyn Ross, gold; Haidyn Stewart, silver.
Men 15 and under: Hunter Engholm, gold.
Women 15 under: Chloe Chaleunsinh, gold; Kaela Hinze, silver.
Men collegiate: Josh Corbin (Hillsdale College), gold; Kyle Fleck (Hillsdale College), silver; Eli Christman (University of Tennessee Southern), bronze.
Women collegiate: Julia “Lia” Nelson (University of Florida), gold; Jessi Griffin (College of Coastal Georgia), silver; Emily Rasmussen (Concordia University), bronze.
Senior: Diego Duarte Delgado, gold; Oscar Fernandez, silver; Jack Grehan, bronze.
International: Richard McBride, gold; Charles Fisher, silver; Jose Giha, bronze.
See official results here: https://bit.ly/3MyndXl
View award photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usashooting/albums/72177720308458539
Purchase photos from the event here: https://geosnapshot.com/e/2023-sg-nats/20895
The 2023 Trap National Championships and Olympic Trials Part 1 are up next at the John A. Halter Shooting Center, May 25-28, 2023.
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