SPORTS WRAP
From last to first… and now on to college.
What started as a sibling rivalry has turned into a college opportunity for Owatonna High School graduate Tori Koziolek. Her clay target shooting prep career ended with an appearance in the Minnesota State High School League state competition in June with her team and a trip to nationals in July.
She joined the Huskies trap team with zero experience. “I started as a seventh grader because I wanted to do a sport with my big brother, Ethan. And then it was his senior year, and I started to beat him. So, I thought I should keep on going.
“I never shot a gun before I did trap shooting and (now) I’m No. 1 in the conference,” she said of her 22.7-out-of-25 average this season. This after finishing last in scoring her first year. “We bring it up every banquet,” she commented with a laugh.
Coach Mike Kingland calls her first season, “Well, a learning experience.
“Tori went from that first-year average to top female in our conference through hard work, practice and dedication. She is always at the club working on her game; fundamentals, shot routine and mental management. She has seen thousands of clays over the past six years.”
He says she’s coachable. “We tell our athletes that the most important target is the next one. So, whether an athlete smashes one or misses a target, you cannot dwell on that outcome. Tori is good at that.”
Koziolek developed her own system for approaching each shot. “I think I started counting my first year. I was always told that consistency is key. A routine is key. What’s better than counting. It keeps a steady rhythm and keeps your mind off of other things.”
Thoughts of shooting in college emerged a couple of years ago. She and her father, Anthony, toured seven colleges in seven days, settling on Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, where her mother, Jen, went to school.
“I love the campus and their business administration courses and I love the team. They have a nice trap house. They have a cool (virtual reality) system for offseasons.”
She knows the atmosphere will be different. “I’m starting with all new people. It’s going to be smaller compared to our 90 students (with the Huskies). It’ll be competitive, which I like.”
Koziolek is proud to have helped create a welcoming culture. “The relationships with all my friends. My graduating class has the most females in it. And that’s all because we kept asking them to come and try and then they loved it.”
Kingland stated, “Tori is very team oriented in a highly individual game… She has been an ambassador of the game to all willing to listen, and a great mentor to our younger female athletes. Tori’s senior class is the largest in team history (24) which includes our largest single class of girls (nine) ever.”
After OHS finished in the middle of the pack at the state meet in Prior Lake, a trio of Huskies went to nationals in Michigan. Koziolek shot 90 out of 100 in preliminaries. Jackson Davis shot 96 in the finals. Mason Ihrke dusted 95 clays. All three recorded at least one perfect 25-straight round.
Chatty Time
The 4th annual Chatty 5K run/walk is Saturday, Aug. 22 at OHS. The event honors longtime Owatonna cross-country coach Dave Chatelaine on his 35-year career and benefits the boys and girls programs.
The run starts and ends at the new Owatonna High School on 18th Street. Search Chatty 5K on Facebook for details. Online registration closes on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Same day sign-up is cash only. A free kids’ quarter-mile run will be held right before the 8 a.m. 5K start.
Packet pickup begins at 7 a.m. that morning. This continues the long tradition of a charity run the week of the Steele County Free Fair.