Iowa 4-H youth compete in 2025 state shooting sports competition
More than 130 youth from 22 counties participated in the 2025 Iowa 4-H Safety and Education in Shooting Sports State Shooting Competition on Aug. 23 at Brownell’s Big Springs Shooting Complex in Searsboro.
Iowa 4-H members competed at the state level in six disciplines: archery, air rifle, shotgun, smallbore rifle, muzzleloader and wildlife. Youth competed in compound, recurve and Genesis archery subcategories, and in Junior (grades 4–6), Intermediate (grades 7–8) and Senior (grades 9–12) age divisions for awards. Competition results are shown for each discipline.
Archery – Compound
Junior Division
- First – Finnian Miynarik, Madison County
- Second – Reagan McGregor, Davis County
- Third – Autumn Boysen, East Pottawattamie County
Intermediate Division
- First – Cameron Camp, Hamilton County
- Second – Zane Hackett, East Pottawattamie County
- Third – Lane Widick, Hamilton County
Senior Division
- First – Isabelle Henderson, Davis County
- Second – Carter Henderson, Madison County
- Third – Jayden Haffner, Page County
Archery – Genesis
Junior Division
- First – Corah Cook, Madison County
- Second – Caroline Cook, Madison County
- Third – Nolan Rose, Washington County
Intermediate Division
- First – Brayden Rundell, Washington County
- Second – Cooper Boman, Washington County
- Third – Dean Rose, Washington County
Senior Division
- First – Morgan Christensen, Boone County
- Second – Keyla Gomez Alanis, Hamilton County
Archery – Recurve
Senior Division
- First – Lydia Cook, Madison County
- Second – Grant Bane, East Pottawattamie County
- Third – Kiera Ernst, Humboldt County
Air Rifle
Junior Division
- First – Avery Amdor, Adams County
- Second – Raelin Waters, Madison County
Intermediate Division
- First – Ellie Amdor, Adams County
Senior Division
- First – Mattie Haines, East Pottawattamie County
- Second – Hudson Kirby, Davis County
- Third – Meg Haines, East Pottawattamie County
Smallbore Rifle
Junior Division
- First – Nate McLain, Page County
- Second – Taylor Cahill, East Pottawattamie County
- Third – Ian Griffith, Guthrie County
Intermediate Division
- First – Kaylee Turner, East Pottawattamie County
- Second – Lovella Peiffer, Washington County
- Third – Brenna Vik, Humboldt County
Senior Division
- First – Mattie Haines, East Pottawattamie County
- Second – Justin Moore, Washington County
- Third – Kort Akers, Madison County
Shotgun
Junior Division
- First – Nile Smith, Poweshiek County
- Second – Ian Griffith, Guthrie County
- Third (tie) – Quill Marei Smith, Marion County and Charlie Bedford, Webster County
Intermediate Division
- First – Dylan Staples, Humboldt County
- Second – Reed Larson, Hamilton County
- Third – Holden Jergens, Hamilton County
Senior Division
- First – Makayla Staples, Humboldt County
- Second – Weston Vik, Humboldt County
- Third – Joe Kauffman, Webster County
Muzzleloader
Intermediate Division
- First – Brooke Bane, East Pottawattamie County
- Second – Zane Hackett, East Pottawattamie County
- Third – Oliver Becker, East Pottawattamie County
Senior Division
- First – Grant Bane, East Pottawattamie County
- Second – Nolan Becker, East Pottawattamie County
- Third – Lauren Keller, Tama County
Wildlife
Intermediate Division
- First – Cole S., Johnson County
Senior Division
- First – Wyatt Silhaneck, Tama County
- Second – Grant Bane, East Pottawattamie County
- Third – Meg Haines, East Pottawattamie County
Each discipline’s four top-scoring individuals will be contacted and invited to compete in the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships, scheduled for June 21–26, 2026, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Participants may only attend a National 4-H Shooting Sports Championship Invitational once per discipline and can only compete in one discipline per year.
Sponsors for the event included Brownell’s, the Iowa 4-H Foundation, and the Nebraska and Western Iowa VA Suicide Prevention Program. The Nebraska and Western Iowa VA supported the event by donating 200 gun cable locks to give to families and clubs who attended the event. Kimberly Cavalier, health and human sciences educator with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, passed out the gun cable locks and shared information about suicide awareness, suicide prevention and safe gun storage.
For more information on the Iowa 4-H Youth Development program or shooting sports activities and events, please contact your ISU Extension and Outreach county office. To learn more about the Iowa 4-H Safety and Education in Shooting Sports program, visit the activities and events webpage or the SESS Project Area webpage.
TOP PHOTO: Morgan Christensen, 4-H SESS ambassador, competes in archery during the 2025 State 4-H Shooting Sports Match. (Photo courtesy of Michael Kloth)
