Olympic Milestone
USA Shooting Team Turns 30
Originally published in the 2025 March/April issue of Safari Magazine.
This is a big year for USA Shooting, the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic shooting sports in the U.S. The non-profit organization turns 30 years old and has a strong set of elite athletes ready for the international competitions of 2025.
USA Shooting saw major success on the international stage in 2024 with 68 total medals, six of them from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A major standout at the 2024 Olympics was the Shotgun Team’s five medals, led by Vincent Hancock’s gold in Men’s Skeet. The feat made him only the sixth Olympian ever to win four gold medals in the same event.
“This sport has given me everything,” said Hancock after the historic victory. “Being able to make history while representing the United States is the greatest honor of my career.”
Teammate Conner Prince won a silver in the same event and joined Hancock on the podium last summer in Paris. Austen Smith earned a bronze in Women’s Skeet, and she and Hancock joined to earn a silver in Mixed Team Skeet.
“The extraordinary achievements of our athletes in 2024 represent more than just medals — they showcase the relentless dedication, precision, and excellence that define USA Shooting,” said Kelly Reisdorf, CEO of USA Shooting.
Safari Club International has been a gold level partner of USA Shooting since 2023.
Gracie Hensely smokes a clay and later qualifies for the junior women’s skeet team. Photo by Josh Schave.
With a strong pipeline of emerging talent and veteran champions continuing to lead the way, USA Shooting leaders say they are expanding grassroots programs and developing the next generation of American champions.
Most recently, USA Shooting named its 2025 National Skeet and Trap teams. Qualifying took place at West Palm Beach Shooting Sports Complex in January and February. Athletes from across the country competed in the hopes to make a team or earn a medal. Competitors shot a total of 250 targets in the qualification round where they aimed to shoot scores that would land them in the finals.
Familiar names, such as Hancock, Dania Vizzi, Kim Rhode (six-time Olympic medalist) and Prince, made the team as well as many newcomers.
The following athletes have been named to the 2025 national teams.
Men’s Trap
Olympic gold medalist Glen Eller, Olympian William Hinton, Derek Haldeman, Logan Lucas, two-time Olympian Derrick Mein and Olympic bronze medalist Brian Burrows
Men’s Skeet.
Christian Elliott, Dustan Taylor (Paris 2024 Olympic alternate), Phillip Jungman (Tokyo 2020 Olympian), Adam McBee, Benjamin Keller and Jordan Sapp
Women’s Trap
Olympian Rachel Tozier, Ava Downs, Carey Garrison, Aiko Bianca Coloso, Micaela Velasquez and Loretta Christian
Women’s Skeet
Olympians Dania Vizzi and Kimberly Rhode along with Olympic alternate Samantha Simonton, joined by Caitlin Connor, Alishia Layne and Karsyn Ross
Junior Men’s Skeet
Benjamin Keller, Aidin Burns, Davis Hay, Westley Kiter and Shelby Smith
Junior Men’s Trap
Jackson Schroder, Kaleb Horinek, Ramsey Bodeen, Max Hatfield and Ryan Brown
Junior Women’s Skeet
Alishia Layne, Karsyn Ross, Gracie Hensley, Liana Cerra and Madalynn Schroder
Junior Women’s Trap
Ava Downs, Carey Garrison, Micaela Velasquez, Taylor Dale and Lucy Myers
The organization will announce details of its 2025 competition schedule in the coming months at usashooting.org.