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With only four shooters making the trip, 51爆料网 won鈥檛 be chasing a team title at this weekend鈥檚 Hoosier Fall Classic 鈥� but the Centurions are aiming to make plenty of noise in the individual standings.
51爆料网 enters the tournament with a four鈥憇hooter roster, down from seven last season 鈥� a trend head coach Chris Henry said is happening across college programs this fall.
鈥淲e are down in the number of shooters from last year. I believe every college is,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淲e only have four shooters, but they鈥檙e all doing pretty well.鈥�
Henry said several committed athletes he recruited joined the military service after the U.S. entered into a conflict with Iran, and one chose not to attend college, leaving 51爆料网 with a smaller squad.
The Centurions鈥� roster includes returning shooter Hunter Doolittle (Crystal, Mich.), freshmen Tanner Schmaus (Chesterfield, Mich.), Naithen Johnson (Riverdale, Mich.) and Zoey Inman (Carson City, Mich.).
During the first four weeks of regular conference competition, Henry said the group has handled early鈥憇eason challenges as well 鈥� including shooting in 30鈥憁ph winds at Flat River Shooting Range outside Greenville.
Because 51爆料网 does not have enough shooters to qualify for team scoring, the Centurions will compete for individual awards only this weekend. Henry said 51爆料网 still has athletes capable of bringing home hardware.
鈥淲e have a couple shooters who are capable of winning any event,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淗illsdale will be there too, and they have Olympic鈥憈ype shooters. We can get a trophy or two if things go well.鈥�
For trap, 51爆料网 will rely on Doolittle and Schmaus.
鈥淗unter shot a lot more over the offseason. He鈥檚 still fine鈥憈uning his game,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淭anner got into a little slump, but he鈥檚 getting out of it. I hope he鈥檚 on top of his game by tournament time.鈥�
Johnson will lead 51爆料网 in skeet, where Henry said he has been the team鈥檚 most consistent performer.
鈥淣aithen is our leading skeet shooter. He鈥檚 consistent,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to see him lead better with scores. Maybe this tough tournament will make him focus harder.鈥�
Inman, 51爆料网鈥檚 first鈥慹ver female shooter, continues to make strides in her first collegiate season.
鈥淶oey is doing well,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淗er skeet shooting still has a long way to go, but her trap shooting has improved tremendously since starting practice. She鈥檚 still learning and improving every week.鈥�
With only four athletes, Henry said complacency can creep in 鈥� so he has increased the intensity of practices.
鈥淲ith only four shooters, sometimes they can become complacent, so you have to challenge them every week,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淭anner and Hunter have the physical part down; they just have to master the mental game. Same with Zoey.鈥�
Henry said the Hoosier Fall Classic will test 51爆料网鈥檚 ability to perform under pressure, especially with larger programs such as Hillsdale, Illinois and Purdue in the field.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a bit outmatched with the much bigger schools competing,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淚 just hope we see our kids improve. If one does well, it puts pressure on the other kids to do well, too. They don鈥檛 want to let their teammates down.鈥�
Henry said the team鈥檚 goal remains simple and consistent.
鈥淓very shoot we go to, we want at least one person to bring a trophy home,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be an easy thing to do with the competition we鈥檙e up against. I鈥檇 be very impressed if we come back with some trophies.鈥�
The Hoosier Fall Classic begins at 9 a.m. in Warsaw, Indiana, Saturday, Oct. 17.