Neesa DaCosta ranked among top female collegiate shooters in the USA

Jamaica’s Neesa DaCosta became the fourth ranked Collegiate Lady shooter at the end of the academic year after competing for Jacksonville University (JU) in the state of Florida, USA where she earned a full scholarship as a student athlete, in the sport of skeet shooting. Less than one point separated her from the third place awardee. This is arguably the best placement for any Jamaican female shooter at the collegiate level in the United States of America.

DaCosta has an enviable record of achievement both academically and in the sport of shooting. After arriving at JU in 2020, she pursued a double major in Business Management and Marketing while shooting competitively in Skeet, Trap, and Sporting Clays. Throughout her studies, she consistently ranked among the top students in her class while balancing the demands of collegiate athletics.

DaCosta was elected Board Secretary of the JU Shooting Team during her sophomore (2nd) year. As she continued to develop as an athlete, she traveled throughout the USA to represent JU in regional and national championships.

Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, DaCosta was recognized as one of the top 25 students of the Davis College of Business & Technology at JU which is an honor reserved for students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance, leadership, and service.

She continued her studies to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) while simultaneously advancing her leadership responsibilities within the shooting program. She was elevated to the position of Chief of Staff/ Chief Graduate Assistant of the JU Shooting Team where she played a pivotal role in team operations, athlete development and growth of the shooting programme.

After earning her National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) Level 1 Instructor Certification, she was appointed as an Assistant Coach for the JU Shooting Team. In this role, she assisted her teammates in coaching as well as junior athletes from the local Jacksonville high schools, helping to introduce young shooters to the sport while teaching proper shooting fundamentals, discipline, and firearm safety.

She also volunteered extensively with the Jacksonville Clay Target Sports range, assisting female shooters from both the club and the wider community through a special initiative known as Shooting Stars.

DaCosta was awarded the prestigious Head Coach’s Award, for every single year at JU between 2020-2026, honoring her volunteer work, leadership, positive attitude, and dedication to the success of the program.

A major turning point in her competitive career came in 2025 when Cole Fine Guns & Gunsmithing, which is one of the most respected Beretta dealers and competitive shooting supporters in the USA began to sponsor her. This allowed her to custom-fit her Beretta 694 ACS shotgun with a 30-inch barrel. The change immediately improved her performance and consistency across all disciplines.

At the 2025 Spring SE Collegiate Regional Championships, DaCosta captured the title of Women’s High Overall (HOA) Runner-Up due to her multiple podium finishes in the tournament such as Women’s Skeet Champion – 1st, Women’s HOA 2nd – Sporting Clays and Women’s Doubles Trap – 4th.

At the 2025 ACUI Fall Lower East Coast Championships, she earned the following finishes, continuing to establish herself among the top female collegiate shooters in the southeastern United States. These included Women’s HOA – 3rd, Women’s Sporting Clays – 3rd and Women’s American Trap – 3rd.

One of the crowning achievements of her collegiate career came during the 2025 SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program) Florida State Championships, where she delivered an exceptional performance to capture the titles of ⁠Florida Collegiate Lady Champion for Skeet, Trap and ⁠Sporting Clays.

This extraordinary accomplishment earned her recognition as a rare triple-crown champion, bringing pride to JU, the Jamaica Skeet Club and Jamaica as a whole.

In May this year DaCosta graduated from JU with her Master of Business Administration (MBA) and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate Business Scholar, once again demonstrating her ability to excel academically while competing at an elite level.

Subsequent to that, her collegiate career reached another milestone when the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) – SCTP selected her to be on the prestigious All-American Team.

“This recognition of being on the NSSA SCTP All America Team is a sign that I am moving in the right direction and its just encouragement that there is still bigger goals ahead for me and as a Jamaican athlete I am really proud to represent my country at this level and show that we can compete among the best shooters in the Unites States. I really do hope that my journey inspires other young Jamaicans especially the juniors in clay shooting to pursue the opportunities in the sort and keep striving for excellence” said a beaming Dacosta.

DaCosta’s journey began at Hillel Academy where she distinguished herself academically while developing a passion for shotgun shooting through her involvement with the Jamaica Skeet Club under the guidance of Khaleel Azan, whose encouragement and technical instruction provided the foundation for her competitive achievements.

She further credits David Dobson, M.B.A, Founder, Executive Director and Head Coach of the JU Shooting Team, whose leadership and commitment has helped to establish the university as one of the nation’s respected collegiate shotgun programs.

Today she stands not only as a champion athlete and accomplished scholar but also as a mentor, coach, and role model for the next generation of shooters.