November 17, 2025
History and marksmanship converged on Friday, November 7, as Hampden-Sydney College officially dedicated its new Hampden-Sydney Shooting Sports Academy, located at historic Slate Hill, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Slate Hill holds special significance as the original location of the College’s founding in 1775, particularly relevant during the institution’s ongoing 250th anniversary celebrations.
The dedication marked an exciting moment for the College and its shooting sports enthusiasts, celebrating a facility that is already offering excellent amenities and promises much more upon its full completion next spring.
The facility currently offers two skeet and trap fields, two five-stands, a third area with 16 shooting stations, and a lake.
The ceremony drew a committed group of attendees, including Hampden-Sydney President Larry Stimpert and Dean of Students Richard Pantele ’13, who acknowledged the dedication of those who brought the project to fruition.
“This project at Hampden-Sydney Shooting Sports Academy has certainly been a passion for a lot of people, especially for many of our students and alumni. Through it, the College has developed a renewed passion for the shooting sports,” Pantele said.
They were joined by key figures Tom Allen ’60, former chairman of the board of trustees, and Ty Schoolar ’20, head coach of the shooting team, along with a generous contingent of donors, family members, and shooting enthusiasts whose support was instrumental in bringing the project to life.
"I was a freshman when I heard rumors that we were getting a new shooting facility,” said Shooting Team Captain Wills Jannerbo ’26. “I never would have dreamed of something as cool as this!”
Wills, who also serves as chairman of the Student Senate, expressed optimism for his sport’s future at the College. “I can’t imagine what the teams that come after us will experience with the foundation you’ve laid for us here,” he said, addressing the project’s benefactors.
Once completed next spring, Hampden-Sydney Shooting Sports Academy will be home to a lodge, a practice shooting range, and an events hall, among other amenities.
Associate Dean of Students for Student Conduct and Director of Greek Life Dwayne Bowyer ’92 said that the Hampden-Sydney Shooting Team’s leading performers regularly produce top-tier scores in competition, adding that “With coach Ty Schoolar and now with the new facility and support from our alumni, it’s only going to get better.”
The ribbon-cutting was followed by demonstrations on both five-stand and trap fields, where students showed impressive marksmanship, as well as tours of the third range and remaining acreage.
The completed range is set to significantly enhance the College's ability to host competitive events and offer top-tier recreational shooting opportunities.
Those concerned about any potential effects on the cemetery or the home at Slate Hill can rest assured that the new shooting range will affect neither, nor cause any disruptions to archeological projects at the site.
The Hampden-Sydney community looks forward to the full opening next spring, anticipating a world-class facility that honors the long history of shooting sports at the College while providing state-of-the-art resources for today’s students and alumni.