USA SHOOTING TRAP TEAM EARNS FOUR MEDALS AT 2024 CAT GAMES
By Brittany Nelson, USAS Public Relations & Communications Manager
COLO SPRGS, CO (March 6, 2024) – The USA Shooting trap team earned four medals at the 2024 Shotgun Championship of the Americas (CAT) Games, medaling in four out of the five events they participated in.
Derrick Mein, 2022 World Champion, earned gold in Men’s Trap after besting Eduardo Lorenzo of the Dominican Republic. Mein earned himself a spot in the finals by shooting a qualification score of 120 out of 125.
Mein, a Tokyo Olympian, also saw international success in 2023. He earned a total of four medals at International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) competitions to include gold in Men’s Trap Team alongside Will Hinton, and Derek Haldeman at the 2023 World Championships.
Mein added a second medal to his 2024 CAT Games count when he helped the Men’s Trap Team take home a bronze medal. Mein, Ramsey Bodeen, and Matthew Killeen shot a combined score of 206 out of 225 to land them in the bronze medal match. The trio earned their medal by defeating the Peruvian team.
Killeen made his international competition debut while both he and Bodeen earned their first international medals.
Ryann Phillips earned bronze in Women’s Trap after outshooting teammate Carey Garrison. Three USA Shooting athletes qualified for the finals; Phillips, Garrison, and Ida Brown. The trio made up half of all the finalists. Phillips’ bronze marks her second international medal of 2024. She earned another bronze in Women’s Trap at the ISSF Rabat World Cup back in January. Phillips is currently ranked number five in the world for Women’s Trap.
Phillips, Garrison, and Ida went on to earn gold in Women’s Trap Team. The team earned themselves a spot in the finals after shooting the highest overall combined score of 205 out of 225. The American’s beat the Mexican team who earned silver.
The USA Shooting skeet team competes next at the 2024 CAT Games, March 6-8.
The entire shotgun team has already racked up eight international medals in the three months of 2024. Last year, the team brought home an impressive 48 medals internationally, six from the 2023 World ISSF Championship.
After the 2024 CAT Games, athletes will be headed to Tucson, Arizona, for the U.S. Olympic Trials- Shotgun Shooting Part Two. Then entire trap and skeet Olympic team will qualify for Paris at the competition. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place July 26- Aug. 11, 2024.
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