The junior shotgun team earned 10 medals at the 2025 Junior Championship of the Americas (CAT) Games in Bridgetown, Barbados, March 7-17. The skeet team is shown above. Photo by Jon Michael McGrath.
USA Shooting junior shotgun athletes blew the competition out of the water with 10 medals and eight quotas earned at the 2025 Junior Championship of the Americas (CAT) Games in Bridgetown, Barbados, March 7-17. An even greater accomplishment to note is that this was the first international competition for a handful of the athletes.
The quota slots athletes earned at the CAT Games are delegated to the U.S. for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games taking place this August 9-23 in Asuncion, Paraguay. Each quota earned gives the U.S. a spot to compete in the respective event. The Junior Pan American Games take place every four years and consist of athletes from North, South, and Central American countries.
At the CAT Games, the skeet and trap teams both earned five medals and four quotas. The skeet team kicked off the competition strong. Benjamin Keller, a two-time Junior World Champion, clinched the gold in Junior Men’s Skeet with teammate Aidin Burns, a Junior World Championship medalist, bringing home the silver. Westley Kiter finished just behind in fourth place. Keller, Burns, and Kiter teamed up to earn gold in the Junior Men’s Skeet Team event. The accomplishment marks Kiter’s first international medal.
Madeline Corbin, a three-time international medalist, topped the podium in Junior Women’s Skeet earning the coveted gold medal. Garcie Hensley, a 2024 Junior World Championship medalist, secured a bronze medal in Junior Women’s Skeet, joining Corbin on the podium. Hensley and Corbin both earned the U.S. quotas in Junior Women’s Skeet for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games and Keller and Burns earned the U.S. quotas in Junior Men’s Skeet.
The trap team’s performance bore just as much fruit. Team USA swept the podium in Junior Women’s Trap, showing the true strength of the U.S. shotgun team. Carey Garrison, an eight-time international medalist, shot her way to the top becoming the Junior Women’s Trap champion. Competing against Garrison in the finals and ultimately sharing the podium, Ava Downs attained the silver medal in the event. Sidney Coffin, 2024 Junior World Cup team member, finished out the star studded podium sweep with a bronze medal. The achievement marks Coffin’s first international medal.
Downs, a two-time Junior World Championship team member, paired up with Connor Lynn in the Mixed Trap team event where the duo worked their way to the top of the podium with a gold medal. Team USA doubled its podium presence in the Mixed Trap Team event with Kaleb Horinek and Garrison clinching the bronze. Lynn and Horinek both earned their first international medals at the 2025 Junior CAT Games.
Garrison and Downs both earned the U.S. quotas in Junior Women’s Trap for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games and Horinek and Lynn earned the U.S. quotas in Junior Men’s Trap.
See below for all shotgun medals and quotas earned at the 2025 Junior CAT Games:
Skeet
– Benjamin Keller: Gold, Junior Men’s Skeet
– Aidin Burns: Silver, Junior Men’s Skeet
– Madeline Corbin: Gold, Junior Women’s Skeet
– Benjamin Keller, Aidin Burns, and Westley Kiter: Gold, Junior Men’s Skeet Team
– Gracie Hensley: Bronze, Junior Women’s Skeet
Trap
– Carey Garrison: Gold, Junior Women’s Trap
– Ava Downs: Silver, Junior Women’s Trap
– Sidney Coffin: Bronze, Junior Women’s Trap
– Connor Lynn and Ava Downs: Gold, Junior Mixed Trap Team
– Kaleb Horinek and Carey Garrison: Bronze, Junior Mixed Trap Team
2025 Junior Pan American Games U.S. Quotas Earned
– Junior Women’s Skeet (2): Madeline Corbin and Gracie Hensley
– Junior Men’s Skeet (2): Benjamin Keller and Aidin Burns
– Junior Women’s Trap (2): Carey Garrison and Ava Downs
– Junior Men’s Trap (2): Kalen Horinek and Connor Lynn
The 2025 Junior Pan American Games team will be selected based on the 2025 spring selection match, that was held earlier this year, and the 2025 National Championships, taking place this May.
— Brittany Nelson, USA Shooting
