BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State University Extension 4-H youth who competed at the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships this year once again scored exceptionally well, including a first-place finish by Caden Chelmo of Brule County and the air pistol team.
The 2025 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships were held June 22-27, 2025, in Grand Island, Nebraska. The competition featured 737 youth from 40 states; South Dakota sent 35 youth and nine coaches to this year’s contest.
Top finishers were in the air pistol event, which includes rapid fire, silhouette and slow fire rounds. Chelmo won second place in rapid fire and slow fire, and fifth in silhouette, and won first place overall individually. Ella Hanson, of Lake County, came in 10th in the rapid fire round and fifth in slow fire, to finish in seventh place overall.
The air pistol teams won first place out of 18 teams. Team members included Chelmo, Hanson, Riley Spatz and Teadon Seaboy. They were coached by Art Kneen.
For the 2025 Tom Davison Sweepstakes Award, South Dakota’s team won fifth place overall with 228 points. To compete for the award, each state collected points throughout the competition based on individual placings across the divisions. Each day’s points were tallied up for the overall score.
The 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships are held yearly in Grand Island, Nebraska. South Dakota youth must qualify at one of three competitions to compete at nationals. Competitors can only participate in a division once at nationals but can return to nationals in other divisions.
“I am happy for the success the various participants had this year, especially our individual champion in air pistol,” said John Keimig, SDSU Extension 4-H Shooting Sports and Safety Field Specialist. “But my proudest moment for the South Dakota team came before the competition. The night of registration, we had a team supper sponsored by the South Dakota Shooting Sports Foundation at a steakhouse in Grand Island. After the meal, a couple of the staff stopped me to tell me how respectful and polite our group of young adults were. That made my trip and is a testament to the quality of our youth.”
Complete results:
Air pistol individuals (73 total competitors)
- Rapid fire: Caden Chelmo, Brule, second place
- Rapid fire: Ella Hanson, Lake, 10th place
- Silhouette: Caden Chelmo, Brule, fifth place
- Slow fire: Caden Chelmo, Brule, second place
- Slow fire: Ella Hanson, Lake, fifth place
- Overall individuals:
- Caden Chelmo, Brule, first place
- Ella Hanson, Lake, seventh place
Air pistol teams (18 total teams)
- Rapid fire teams: Second place
- Silhouette teams: Third place
- Slow fire teams: Second place
- Overall teams: First place
Air rifle individuals (87 total competitors)
- 3-P: Lydia Blachford, Faulk, 10th place
- Standing: Lydia Blachford, Faulk, ninth place
- Silhouette: Joseph Gilbertz, Brule, ninth place
- Silhouette: Mya Heinje, Roberts, 10th place
- Overall air rifle individuals: Lydia Blachford, Faulk, seventh place
Air rifle teams (20 total teams)
- 3-P teams: Fifth place
- Standing teams: Fifth place
- Silhouette teams: Third place
- Overall air rifle teams: Fourth place
Compound archery individuals (123 total competitors)
- FITA: Devon Mueller, Grant, Fifth place
Compound archery teams (20 total)
- FITA teams: Fifth place
Recurve archery individuals (53 total competitors)
- Field archery: Riley Kneen, Sanborn, fifth place
- FITA: Caleb Kneen, Sanborn, ninth place
- Overall recurve archery individuals: Riley Kneen, Sanborn, fifth place
Shotgun individuals (115 total competitors)
- Trap: Gage Whitehead, Meade, second place
Hunting skills individuals (48 total competitors)
- Wildlife ID/wildlife management/archery: Landon Tieszen, Turner, fifth place
- Wildlife ID/wildlife management/archery: Regan Schwartz, Hamlin, seventh place
- Wildlife ID/wildlife management/archery: Addison Heinje, Roberts, eighth place
- Decision making/compass course/rifle: Landon Tieszen, Turner, first place
- Overall hunting skills individuals: Landon Tieszen, Turner, fourth place
Hunting skills teams (13 total)
- Wildlife ID/wildlife management/archery teams: Third place
- Skills/compass/shotgun: Fifth place
- Decision making/compass course/rifle teams: Fifth place
Overall hunting skills teams: Fourth place
- Small-bore rifle individuals (87 total competitors)
- Silhouettes: Luke Dangel, Charles Mix, 10th place
- 3-P: Mason Stoeser, Hughes, seventh place
- 3-P: Karlie Kammerer Pennington, ninth place
- Overall: Mason Stoeser, Hughes, fifth place
- Overall: Karlie Kammerer, Pennington, ninth place
Small-bore rifle teams (20 total)
- Silhouettes teams: Fourth place
- CMP teams: Fifth place
- 3-P teams: Second place
- Overall teams: Second place
Small-bore pistol individuals (64 total competitors)
- Slow fire: Chance Riley, Lincoln, eighth place
- Camp Perry: Chance Riley, Lincoln, fifth place
- Overall: Chance Riley, Lincoln, seventh place
Small-bore pistol teams (10 total)
- Slow fire teams: Fifth place
- Camp Perry teams: Fourth place
- Overall team: Fifth place
Tom Davison Sweepstakes (40 total teams)
- Fifth place overall with a total of 228 points
South Dakota also sent competitors in the muzzleloader and shotgun events.
