2023 NCSSAA National Championships

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The following events (100 targets each) will be offered at the 2023 NCSSAA National Championships: 

American Trap

Doubles Trap

American Skeet

Doubles Skeet

Sporting Clays

Super Sporting

The title of Divisional National Champion will be based upon the scores from American Trap, American Skeet, and Sporting Clays. The Doubles events and Super Sporting will be considered side events for the competition, however awards will still be distributed in these events.

All teams are allowed auto-qualification for five athletes. These athletes are able to compete at Nationals without meeting a qualifying score. Auto-qualification applies to all events offered at Nationals. Outside of those athletes, teams are permitted to bring as many qualified athletes to Nationals as they would like. Qualification for Nationals is based on the following criteria:

• Qualification is based on the average of the highest two scores shot at NCSSAA regional or NCSSAA sanctioned events. This allows competitors to attend as many events as they would like without one bad performance hindering their average and ability to qualify for Nationals. Please note that the two scores must come from two separate NCSSAA events. At least one qualifying score must come from an NCSSAA regional qualifier, even if the competitor shoots higher scores at sanctioned events. 
• Athletes must qualify for each event and do not automatically qualify for all events if qualification for one event is met. For example, a student may qualify for Trap, but if they did not qualify for Skeet or Sporting, they will not be allowed to compete in those two events at Nationals. 
• Qualification numbers are as follows: Trap and Skeet require a score of 86 and above, Sporting requires a score of 70 and above. Again, these numbers must be met by combining the highest two scores shot at NCSSAA regional or NCSSAA sanctioned events as noted above.  
• By qualifying in one of the core events, students will automatically qualify for its partner event at Nationals. For example, students that qualify for Trap will automatically qualify for Doubles Trap and can shoot either or both events. If students qualify for all three core events, they will qualify for all six events offered at Nationals.

Please note that military branch institutions are exempt from qualification requirements. 

All-American and Academic All-Americans will be recognized at Nationals.   

All American: The top five athletes in each division will be recognized in all events offered, including HOA. Athletes that place 6-10 will receive honorable mention.

Academic All-American: Students that have a 3.25 GPA or higher and are enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours, will be recognized as an Academic All American. 

Looking to nationally recognized organizations, NCSSAA will follow NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA divisions for team and individual ranking. The breakdown is as follows:

Division I - Institution with NCAA Division I athletics

Division II - Institution with NCAA Division II athletics

Division III - Institution with NCAA Division III athletics

Division IV - Institution with NAIA athletics or private institution with no athletic designation

Division V - Institution with NJCAA athletics and all two-year institutions: junior college, community college, technical or trade school 

Individual Awards

Individual awards will be given to the first through third place winners in the men's and women's categories in each division, in all six disciplines. Additionally, HOA National Champions (scores from American Trap, American Skeet, and Sporting Clays) will be given to the first through third place winners in the men's and women's categories in each division. 

Team Awards

First through third place teams in each divisions will be recognized and awarded in American Trap, American Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Additionally, the High Overall Divisional National Champion awards will be given to the first through third place team in each division, across the three core disciplines. The outline for the HOA award can be found below.

Divisional National Champion HOA Award

The Divisional National Champion awards at Nationals will be based on the following core events: American Trap, American Skeet, Sporting Clays. Each event will consist of 100 targets for a total of 300 targets. In addition to the Divisional National Champion awards, individuals and teams will be able to register to compete in Doubles Trap, Doubles Skeet, and Super Sporting. Trophies will be awarded for those that shoot all six events, but the official Divisional National Champions will be based on the core three events.

Divisional National Champion HOA Determination

The Divisional National Champion team awards at Nationals will be based on the highest target count of the cumulative scores of the top five individual competitors on a team. This means that a total of five team members’ scores will contribute to the team score. The example below outlines the calculation:

Competitor A: 99 (trap) + 89 (skeet) + 82 (sporting) = 270 (cumulative)

Competitor B: 98 + 95 + 93 = 286

Competitor C: 96 + 96 + 96 = 288

Competitor D: 75 + 80 + 77 = 232

Competitor E: 88 + 86 + 87 = 261

Competitor F: 90 + 92 + 89 = 271

The team score in this scenario would be calculated as follows: 288 (C) + 286 (B) + 271 (F) + 270 (A) + 261 (E) = 1,106.

An additional award category will be available for a high overall for the six events. More information about this award will be shared soon.