Ansley Johnston ’30 still remembers looking up and squinting through the sunlight to see the top of Murchison Tower eight years ago during ID tech camp.
“I used to think the campus was so big that I would never be able to walk the entirety of it in one day. It was kind of daunting, but now it feels so familiar being here as a student,” she says. “When I was in ID tech camp, I always dreamed I would get to spend every day here. It took a lot of work, but now I get to live that dream”
Johnston will be a member of Trinity’s club trap and skeet team, an activity that has been in her life for as long as she can remember. When Johnston was younger, she would frequent her grandfather’s ranch that her dad managed in Canyon Lake. Her father encouraged her to take shooting lessons to understand firearm safety in case she ever wanted to hunt.
“When I was 8, I started going to a shooting instructor to learn how to pull the trigger and gauge recoil. He told me I had a natural talent and a future in the sport of clay shooting,” she says. “We started shooting multiple times a week, and I haven’t stopped since.”
During high school at Alamo Heights, Johnston amassed many awards for trap and skeet. She is a masterclass shooter, the highest classification outside of pro. Johnston has won a lady junior world championship and received a ring for her hard work in 2022, and she considers that her biggest accomplishment to date. She has also won scholarships through the San Antonio Rodeo and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. After graduating from Trinity, she hopes to continue shooting in the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) and the National Sporting Clay Association (NSCA), as well as become an instructor in both disciplines.
Trinity’s club trap and skeet team competes and places in about six competitions per year, including the World Skeet Championships, ACUI Collegiate Clay Target Championships, and regional/local shoots. Notable NSSA Hall of Fame shooters Todd Bender ’82 and John Shima ’81 led Trinity to win five national collegiate titles.
Johnston was drawn to Trinity's club trap and skeet team because of its historical legacies and her own personal ties. “Todd Bender, a 26-time world champion, attended Trinity and created the legendary team, the Cosmic Cowboys. Robert Paxton also played a huge role in the team. I really look up to them as people, especially since I have met Paxton and been coached by Bender,” she says. “Coach Van Boerner, who is retired now, was also a huge pull for me. I was able to witness the team under his leadership.”
By joining Trinity's club trap and skeet team, Johnston hopes to have more chances to compete at events such as World Skeet and ACUI collegiate shoots. She also hopes to grow her personal connections and friendships as she enters the supportive environment found at Trinity's club trap and skeet team.
Aside from trap and skeet, Johnston has a wide range of interests she wants to pursue at Trinity. She plans on rushing and being involved in sports medicine. She also wants to join the mock trial club, supporting her aspirations to major in political science and minor in finance while pursuing the pre-law track.
As a self-proclaimed jack of all trades, Johnston credits her trap and skeet background for supporting her endless desire to take on new opportunities. “My coaches, mentors, and community among shooting programs and associations have really had an impact on my life,” she says. “I feel more prepared for unexpected challenges and situations. My confidence has truly grown through this sport, and I am excited to continue that journey at Trinity.”