Georgia Southern Launches University Clay Target Team

The new program is the first university-sponsored clay target team in school history, with 27 student-athletes.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Hunting

Wide open shooting range with grass, an earthen berm, and a single orange clay target flying over tall pines under a clear sky. — Georgia Southern University launched its first university-sponsored competitive clay target team this fall, with 27 student-athletes competing at the Collegiate Fall Lower East Conference Championships in Jacksonville. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Georgia Southern University has established a university-sponsored competitive clay target team, its first in school history. The team began practicing in August and competed in the Collegiate Fall Lower East Conference Championships in Jacksonville, Fla.

Why it matters

The program follows the club clay target team's success against club sports programs and athletic department-sponsored programs. Clay target shooting is not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, so the team's competition runs through other collegiate shooting organizations.

The team has 27 student-athletes and is funded through fundraisers, student fees and external sponsorships. In ACUI competition, teams shoot up to six clay target disciplines, and Georgia Southern has won four ACUI divisional National Championships.

The players

Georgia Southern University

A public university in Statesboro, Georgia, whose athletic and student programs include the Shooting Sports Education Center that administers the new team.

The details

The team is outfitted in custom shooting vests and other team gear and hosts multiple Eagle Clay Day fundraiser shoots each year. Both the university-sponsored program and the existing club team are administered through the university's Shooting Sports Education Center.

2017: Students organized the Southern Clay Target shooting club as a registered student organization.
2021: The Georgia Southern team competed in its first ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championship.
August 2026: The new university-sponsored team began practicing.
Early November 2026: The team competed in the Collegiate Fall Lower East Conference Championships in Jacksonville, Fla.

Season Trajectory

The Georgia Southern team's four ACUI divisional National Championships place it among the established competitors in collegiate clay target shooting. Its move from a student organization to a university-sponsored program signals a formal commitment to the sport's competitive circuit.

Georgia Southern hosts multiple Eagle Clay Day fundraiser shoots each year that residents can attend. The team's travel across southern regions of the United States will bring its competitions to additional communities.

The takeaway

Collegiate shooting programs can grow from student organizations into sponsored teams through fundraising, sponsorships and institutional support. Readers interested in joining or supporting similar efforts can start with local shooting sports organizations.