COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (October 5, 2018)
The first National Champions in the new Olympic event of Trap Mixed Team were crowned today at the USA Shooting National Championships for Shotgun at the International Shooting Park near Fort Carson, Colorado.
After two days of competition, 150 targets, a Final and a Super Final in very windy, dusty conditions, the team of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Glenn Eller (Katy, Texas/U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit) and Aeriel Skinner (Jackson, California) emerged as the gold medalists.
“It was a good match, we kept it together and just shot as we needed to shoot,” said Eller. “We finished off Qualification great - then I started the Final badly - but Aeriel picked it up and we finished it out!” Eller/Skinner finished each day of Qualification with the highest overall score.
“We joked earlier that you can’t feel comfortable with a nine-target lead until there are eight targets left!” said Skinner. “Turns out it kind of came true!” Eller/Skinner finished nine targets ahead of silver medalists Kayle Browning (Wooster, Arkansas) and Brian Burrows (Fallbrook, California).
The team of two-time Olympic bronze medalist Corey Cogdell-Unrein (Eagle River, Alaska) and Jake Wallace (Castaic, California) won bronze. Prize money for the top overall finishers at the National Championships was also presented, courtesy of our longtime team sponsor White Flyer[1].
Not only were the first national titles awarded in this event, but this match also served as the selection match for Trap Mixed Teams that will represent the United States at the Championship of the Americas (CAT Games) in November, as well as the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cups in Acapulco, Mexico and Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
