New this fall at Minnesota State Community and Technical College is the sport of clay target, which became a varsity sport in the Minnesota College Athletic Association in 2019.

The clay target team will be hosted on the Fergus Falls campus but is also open to students on the college’s campuses in Detroit Lakes, Moorhead and Wadena, said M State Athletic Director Steve King.

“Clay target is the fastest-growing high school sport in the country,” said King, “and we’ll be joining the 12 other two-year colleges that already compete in the MCAC Clay Target League. The sport has been popular at the college level, too – one northern Minnesota college has 45 students competing.”

Participants will compete out of the Lakes Area Shooting Center in Fergus Falls for both team and individual awards. The season begins with an organizational meeting Aug. 24 and ends Oct. 14.

While the ongoing pandemic led the MCAC to suspend contact sports among member colleges for the fall, both clay target and golf are allowed as low-risk sports. M State also fields a golf team for men and women.

King, who will coach the team, said it is open to all eligible students. For more information, contact King at 218.736.1648 or steve.king@minnesota.edu.

As a member of the Minnesota State system, M State serves more than 8,000 students in credit courses each year in more than 80 career and liberal arts programs online and at its campuses in Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead and Wadena. By partnering with communities, the college also provides workforce development services and other responsive training programs.