JAMAICAN skeet shooter Neesa DaCosta has finished her collegiate career ranked fourth among Lady shooters in the United States after competing for Jacksonville University in Florida.

DaCosta, who recently completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Jacksonville University, missed third place in the final rankings by less than one point and is believed to have achieved the highest placement by a Jamaican woman in collegiate clay target shooting in the United States.

Her achievements were further recognised when she was selected to the National Skeet Shooting Association-Scholastic Clay Target Program (NSSA-SCTP) All-America Team.

“This recognition of being on the NSSA SCTP All-America Team is a sign that I am moving in the right direction and encouragement that there are still bigger goals ahead of me,” DaCosta said.

“As a Jamaican athlete, I am proud to represent my country at this level and show that we can compete among the best shooters in the United States. I hope my journey inspires other young Jamaicans, especially juniors in clay shooting, to pursue opportunities in the sport and continue striving for excellence.”

DaCosta attended Jacksonville University on a full athletic scholarship after leaving Hillel Academy in Jamaica. During her six years at the institution, she pursued a double major in business management and marketing before completing her MBA while competing in skeet, trap and sporting clays.

She also served as board secretary of the university’s shooting team and later became chief of staff and chief graduate assistant for the programme. After earning a National Sporting Clays Association Level One Instructor certification, she joined the coaching staff and worked with both university athletes and junior shooters in the Jacksonville area.

Among her top competitive performances was the 2025 SCTP Florida State Championships, where she won the collegiate women’s titles in skeet, trap and sporting clays.

She also finished Women’s High Overall runner-up at the 2025 Spring Southeast Collegiate Regional Championships after winning the women’s skeet title and placing second in sporting clays.

At the 2025 ACUI Fall Lower East Coast Championships, DaCosta placed third in Women’s High Overall, Women’s Sporting Clays and Women’s American Trap.

Last month, she graduated with her MBA and was recognised as a Distinguished Graduate Business Scholar. She was also named among the top 25 students in Jacksonville University’s Davis College of Business and Technology during her undergraduate studies.

DaCosta developed her shooting career at the Jamaica Skeet Club under the guidance of Khaleel Azan and credited Jacksonville University founder and head coach David Dobson for helping shape her development as both an athlete and coach.