Nearly 80 young athletes from across Iowa gathered at the Big Springs Shooting Complex in Searsboro on May 30-31 for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) Iowa State Championship.
The competition featured 195 entries across nine shooting disciplines, with 79 athletes ranging from grade school through high school taking part. Competitors were scored based on their four best times across four different target stages, combining precision and speed.
Among the top performers was Brady Droste of Steel Shooters of Traer, who earned Men’s High Overall Rimfire Pistol Iron honors with a time of 45.98 seconds. Teammate Gwen Wical captured the Ladies High Overall Rimfire Pistol Iron title with a time of 57.45 seconds.
Wyatt Grimm of the Montezuma Shooting Sports Club dominated several categories, winning Pistol Caliber Carbine with a time of 39.27 seconds, the 1911 Model division with a time of 72.12 seconds, and Centerfire Pistol with a time of 61.28 seconds.
Macaylah Hoth of East Iowa Lead Heads earned the Ladies Pistol Caliber Carbine championship with a time of 46.59 seconds.
In rifle competition, Porter Snyder of Carroll Action Shooting Sports claimed Men’s High Overall Rifle honors, combining Iron Rifle and Optics Rifle scores for a winning time of 74.93 seconds. Gwen Wical added another championship to her resume by winning the Ladies Optic Rifle division with a time of 37.14 seconds and securing Ladies High Overall Rifle honors with a combined time of 76.24 seconds.
The Scholastic Action Shooting Program challenges athletes to safely navigate timed courses featuring five targets across four stages. Participants compete using rimfire pistols, rimfire rifles, centerfire pistols, and pistol caliber carbines.
“All SASP activities incorporate two key elements—safety and fun,” said Jonathan Jones, Iowa DNR Shooting Sports and Range Development Coordinator. “The Scholastic Action Shooting Program provides an opportunity for Iowa’s shooting sports athletes to learn to safely handle, use, and maintain firearms while also learning to compete in these sports.”
The next major event in Iowa’s shooting sports season is the Scholastic Clay Target Program State Trapshooting Championship, taking place June 8-14 at the Iowa State Trapshooting Association Homegrounds north of Cedar Falls. More than 3,000 athletes are expected to participate, accounting for over 5,800 entries and nearly 785,200 clay targets.
Complete results from the SASP State Championship are available online.
