Northeast South Dakota 4-H Shooters Earn Top Finishes at 2026 State Championships

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The 2026 South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports season concluded with outstanding performances from young marksmen statewide, highlighted by exceptional achievements from Codington County competitors and neighboring athletes in Deuel, Clark, Day, Grant, and Hamlin counties.

Administered through SDSU Extension, the South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports program spans two main competitive seasons: late fall/winter indoor disciplines (Rifle, Pistol, and Archery) that culminate in spring state finals, followed by summer outdoor shotgun and muzzleloading events.

From local monthly qualifying matches to the State Shoot and Outdoor Archery Championships, area youth demonstrated discipline, safety, and marksmanship across various age divisions and disciplines.

Codington County Shooters Lead the Way

Competitors from Codington County delivered strong performances across archery, air rifle, and trap disciplines throughout the 2026 season.

·         Archery Excellence:

• In the Compound Without Sights (CWOS) beginner division, Grace Kleinsasser finished first in both Match 2 (136.09) and Match 3 (136.09) after placing fifth in Match 1 (109.00).

o    Brexton Peterson claimed top honors at the State Shoot, placing first in Beginner CWOS 3-D with a score of 166.

o    In Compound With Sights Unlimited (CWSR), Hudson Peterson placed second in Match 1 (149.17) and third in Match 2 (149.19), while Tyson Schwinger secured fourth in Match 1 (148.15) and third in Match 3 (150.00).

o    In Compound World Stilts/CWS, Ella Pearson dominated the junior category, taking first place in Match 2 (119.11) and Match 3 (121.14).

o    In the C-Open division, Hudson Koch earned fifth-place finishes in Match 1 (149.14) and Match 3 (150.18).

o    Grady Wasland added a fourth-place beginner finish in CWOSR during Match 2 with a score of 108.02.

·         Rifle & Pistol Achievements: Ethan Jacobson placed fourth in Beginner Air Rifle in Match 3 (157.01) and maintained high precision at the State Shoot, finishing fourth overall with a score of 359.04.

·         Shotgun Discipline: Senior competitor Caleb Fischer captured third place in Senior Trap during Match 5 with a score of 71 and a 36-shot streak.

Deuel County Dominates Muzzleloader and Shotgun Events

Deuel County youth showcased versatile marksmanship in black powder, archery, and shotgun matches.

·         Muzzleloader Disciplines:

• Dakota Christianson earned first place in Junior Muzzleloader Rifle during Match 5 (70.00) and won first in Junior Muzzleloader Bullseye at the Fall Shoot with a 162.02 score.

o    Teammate Jacob Harms placed second in Junior Muzzleloader Rifle in Match 5 (70.00) and second in Bullseye at the Fall Shoot (141.02).

o    Mason Mersbergen took second place in Junior Muzzleloader during Match 6 (57.00).

o    In the senior ranks, Brianna Dailey and Katti Kruse earned third (84.00) and fourth (74.00) place finishes in Match 6 Muzzleloader.

o    The Deuel County Junior Muzzleloader Rifle Team took first place at the Fall Shoot with a combined score of 687.

·         Shotgun Highlights:

• Dakota Christianson won first place in Junior Trap during Match 6 (45 score, 25 streak) and second place in Match 4 (45 score, 20 streak).

o    Mason Mersbergen earned third place in Junior Trap during Match 4 (43 score).

o    The Deuel County Junior Trap Team earned first place in Match 6 with a score of 125, while the Deuel Junior Skeet Team secured first place with a score of 82.

·         Archery & Recurve:

• Jacob DeRoy earned second place in Senior RWS during Match 3 (88.00), third place in Senior R-Open 3-D at the State Shoot (178), third place in Senior Recurve FITA (282.01), and fourth place in Senior Recurve Field (66.01).

o    Ali Mattson earned fourth place in Junior RWOS during Match 1 (88.00).

Day County Archers Hit Top Marks Statewide

Day County competitors earned podium finishes across indoor archery and outdoor summer tournaments.

·         Wickre Brothers Sweep:

• Turner Wickre swept multiple beginner compound archery divisions, placing first in CWSR Match 2 (150.30), C-Open Match 2 (150.28), and C-Open at the State Shoot (150.23).

o    Turner also won first place in Beginner Compound at the State Outdoor Archery Championships in both FITA (715.45) and Field (273.29) events, and placed second in CWSR 3-D (285.09).

o    Junior competitor Tucker Wickre claimed first place in Junior CWSR Match 2 (150.28), C-Open Match 2 (150.26), Junior Compound FITA (700.27), and Junior Compound Field (269.20), as well as fourth in C-Open at the State Shoot (150.24).

·         Additional Day County Highlights:

• Corbin Huffman won first place in Beginner RWS during Match 3 (97.00), followed by second-place finishes at the State Shoot in RWS (119.05) and R-Open (85.01).

o    Beau Hemmingson took second place in Senior .22 Pistol at the State Shoot (507.05), second place in Senior Compound FITA (661.12), and fifth in Senior Compound Field (247.15).

o    Nolan Rasmus secured fifth place in Beginner C-Open during Match 3 (143.14).

o    Knute Hemmingson placed third in Senior R-Open during Match 3 (100.00) and fifth in Senior Recurve FITA (213.00).

o    The Day County Beginner CWSR Team took second place at the State Shoot with a score of 431.46.

Grant County Marksmen Deliver High-Precision Performances

Grant County shooters excelled in C-Open archery, recurve bow, and air rifle disciplines.

·         Devon Mueller's State Sweep:

• Senior competitor Devon Mueller won first place in Senior C-Open during Match 2 (150.30), placed second at the State Shoot in C-Open (150.26) and R-Open (121.03), and took first place in R-Open 3-D (227.04).

o    Mueller also won first place in Senior Recurve in both FITA (540.01) and Field (190.03) outdoor archery events.

·         Youth Standouts:

• Simon Hicks claimed third place in Junior R-Open during Match 3 (100.00) and won first place in Junior RWOS 3-D at the State Shoot (122.01).

o    Braden Mueller earned fifth place in Junior Compound FITA (564.03).

o    Megan Marko placed fifth in Senior RWOS during Match 3 (90.01), fifth in Senior RWS at the State Shoot (90.02), second in Senior RWOS 3-D (71.00), and fourth in Senior Recurve FITA (228.01).

o    James McKillip placed fourth in Beginner Air Rifle during Match 3 (180.01) and fifth at the State Shoot (331.05).

o    Jace Peiker added a fifth-place finish in Junior Trap during Match 5 (42 score).

Hamlin County Shooters Triumph Across Disciplines

Hamlin County youth posted strong team and individual scores in barebow archery, smallbore pistol, and air pistol competitions.

·         Cayden Schmidt's Archery Streak:

• Beginner archer Cayden Schmidt won first place in Beginner CWS across three consecutive qualifying matches—Match 1 (132.00), Match 2 (137.01), and Match 3 (138.05)—before capturing first place in Beginner CWS 3-D at the State Shoot (207.01).

o    Teammate Colton Schmidt finished second behind Cayden in CWS 3-D with a score of 128.00.

·         Pistol & Rifle Stars:

• Corbin Harmon won first place in Junior .22 Pistol in Match 3 (255.01) after placing fifth in Match 2 (224.03).

o    In the State Shoot .22 Pistol finals, Cooper Namken finished second in the junior division (488.05), and Katie Hall placed fourth (464.05).

o    Paisley Namken finished second in Junior Air Pistol in Match 3 (168.00), while Nyssa Kastein earned purple ribbons in Air Pistol Bullseye (150.00) and Rapid Fire (71.01).

o    Carbon Robbins took fourth place in Junior CWSR during Match 1 (149.13) and Match 3 (150.20).

o    Regan Schwartz captured fifth place in Senior CWSR in Match 1 (149.15), fourth in Match 2 (150.20), and second in Match 3 (150.22).

o    Grant Goehring earned first place in Beginner Skeet during Match 5 (12 score) and third place in Beginner Sporting Clays at the Fall Shoot (16 score).

·         Team Honors:

• Hamlin County teams won first place in Beginner CWS in Match 3 (318.06) and at the State Shoot (325.05).

o    The Junior CWSR Team captured first place in Match 1 (438.39), Match 2 (445.36), and Match 3 (443.50), taking second place overall at the State Shoot (438.48).

o    The Junior .22 Pistol Team won first place in Match 2 (646.03) and took second place in Match 3 (699.02) and at the State Shoot (1339.07).

Clark County Youth Show Steady Progress and Medal Finishes

Clark County participants demonstrated consistent growth across archery and shooting disciplines throughout the state series.

·         Archery Highlights:

• Madison Spieker captured second place in Beginner CWOSR during Match 3 with a score of 109.01 and earned a fifth-place ribbon at the State Shoot (90.03).

o    John Poppen placed fifth in Beginner CWOS at the State Shoot with a score of 120.03.

o    Blakely LaMont recorded high-scoring rounds in Beginner CWSR throughout the season, shooting 134.00 in Match 1, 134.07 in Match 2, 144.24 in Match 3, and 139.06 at the State Shoot.

·         BB Gun Results:

• At the State Shoot, Julianne Edleman (351.06) and Lauren Edleman (343.05) both earned purple ribbon awards in the Beginner BB Gun division.

Local 4-H shooting sports programs offer youth opportunities to learn firearm safety, marksmanship, and sportsmanship under the direction of certified adult volunteers. Families interested in getting involved for the upcoming season can contact their county SDSU Extension 4-H office for local discipline offerings and enrollment schedules.