Illinois College Athletics Announces the Addition of Clay Target Team

JACKSONVILLE, Ill.- The Illinois College athletic department announced Thursday the addition of a clay target team as the College's 24th varsity sport. The team is scheduled to begin competition in the spring of 2023. Bruce Shafer has been named the head coach of the program.

Jacksonville Sportsman Club, located in South Jacksonville, will be the home site for the team. The clay target team will be co-ed, and will compete in events like trap, sporting clays, and five stand, among others. The team will be a member of the Scholastic Clay Target Program and compete in ACUI Clay Target events. 

The Scholastic Clay Target Program is the largest and fastest-growing clay target organization in the country. It provides student-athletes the opportunity to compete in sports such as trap, skeet, and sporting clays. ACUI was established in 1968 and is the oldest collegiate shotgun sports program. It hosts the annual ACUI Collegiate Clay Targets Championships. 

Illinois College will host a Recruiting Invitational at the Jacksonville Sportsman Club on Saturday, November 5th at 1:00 PM. The recruiting event is a chance for prospective student-athletes to meet coaches and learn more about the new program. The event is free to prospective student-athletes and will begin with check-in at 9:30 AM. The team shoot will begin at 10:00 AM and include trap, sporting clays, and an Annie Oakley event. Shells, clays, and lunch will be provided. 

Registration for the event is now open. CLICK HERE to register.

For additional information, please contact Meghan Roman, Director of Athletics at meghan.roman@ic.edu or 217.245.3000