UAM NEWS
UAM Student Wins Multiple Events at Trap Shooting Tournament
In her second season on the University of Arkansas at Monticello Trap Shooting team, Missy Gunnels continues to shoot strong, building on her impressive performance from last year. On August 22, Gunnels, a senior animal science major in the UAM pre-vet program from Magnolia, Arkansas, was named High Lady at the August Amateur Trap Association (ATA) Shoot tournament.
The competition was held at the Keith Sutton Five Rivers Shooting Sports Complex in Pocahontas, Arkansas.
At the August ATA Shoot, Gunnels won High Lady in the singles and doubles championships in the all-women class. She won 4th overall in the co-ed handicap championship. In trap shooting, the singles event features one clay target sent into the air at a time, and in the doubles event, two clay targets are sent simultaneously. Handicap is similar to singles except the shooter progressively backs up before each target is sent.
Gunnels’ interest in trap shooting began after watching her brother and sister compete in the sport. In sixth grade, she joined the Columbia Christian School Trap Shooting team in Magnolia, which her father coached, and she continued competing throughout high school.
When she graduated and came to UAM, the university did not have a trap shooting team, so Gunnels set the sport aside. Things changed in fall 2025 when the UAM Trap Shooting team was formed, and a professor recommended she join.
“I feel like it’s a great opportunity just to grow and continue shooting,” said Gunnels. “I really do encourage people who’ve shot before or who haven’t shot before to come and join us.”
After extensive practice at the AGFC Warren Shooting Sports Complex in Warren, Arkansas, with the rest of her teammates, she won first place in the women’s college division at the team’s first competition, the 2026 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) South Central Regional tournament. Later at the 2026 SCTP National Championship tournament, Gunnels earned the second-highest score for the team in the co-ed collegiate American Trap event, helping UAM Trap Shooting finish in the top ten in the nation.
“Missy is a great competitor and continues to be a leader on the UAM Trap Shooting team,” said Chief John Kidwell, director of the University Police Department at UAM and team sponsor of UAM Trap Shooting.
The UAM Trap Shooting team currently includes 19 student members (nine women and ten men) from UAM, the UAM College of Technology-Crossett and the UAM College of Technology-McGehee, with more expected to join.
UAM Trap Shooting is made possible through UAM’s partnership with the AGFC Warren Shooting Sports Complex, which provides a quality venue for weekly practices. The team is funded, in part, by the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education Program (CFDA# 15.611) (Grant # F25AF01373) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service through an agreement with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
For more information about UAM Trap Shooting, contact Chief John Kidwell at kidwell@uamont.edu or 870-460-1183.
