2008, 2012, 2016 Olympian - United States
@CoreyCogdell - twitter / coreycogdell - instagram
STATUS: 2016 Olympic BRONZE MEDALIST (Women's Trap)
2x OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST. NATIONAL CHAMPION. WORLD CUP MEDALIST. MARRIED.
Corey grew up hunting with her father. She began at 3 years old, which fostered a love for shooting. A few years later, she joined the 4-H program and started to develop her trap shooting skills. The experience pushed her to seek out teaching resources from others in the field. At each competition she picked up shooting tips from other athletes, learned to self analyze from her first coach and even traveled for a lesson alongside four-time Olympian Bret Erickson.
Corey made the National Development Team in 2006 at Fall Selection when she placed first in the Junior Women’s Trap competition after shooting for only a few years. That same day, she made the National Team when her score also placed her third in the Women’s Trap competition. In her first international competition, the 2007 Changwon World Cup, Cogdell captured the bronze medal. Shortly after, Cogdell captured the bronze at the 2007 Pan American Games. She earned a spot on her first U.S. Olympic Team in March of 2008. In August of 2008, Corey won the Bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Following the 2008 Olympic Games, Corey added to her resume with a 2009 US National Championship, 2010 Gold at the Championships of the Americas along with a Silver medal at the 2010 World Cup in Acapulco, a Bronze at the US National Championship and heading into the Olympics in London, she added a Gold medal at the World Cup in Tucson, AZ. Her Olympic journey in London though did not end as it did in Beijing and she finished off the podium.
Corey worked in a cooking school for two years as an assistant chef. As part of her job, she traveled to Italy to study how to prepare authentic Italian food.
In August 2014, Corey won the USA Shooting National Championship in International Trap. Cogdell is National Champion by virtue of a clutch gene that saw her win both finals over the four-day event that featured 250 targets and two finals matches. Those two finals victories earned her a bonus 10 points on top of the 241 targets she hit throughout qualifying to secure a three-point victory over Ashley Carroll (Solvang, California) in the end.
“The scores were incredibly high and it was just an outstanding bunch of women I had to compete against that really pushed me,” Cogdell said afterwards. “The competition led me to shooting my personal best and I just really felt strong throughout and it definitely feels wonderful to be back on top again.”
In her free time, Corey enjoys riding motorcycles, rock climbing, hunting, fishing, downhill skiing and attending Denver Broncos games to watch her husband, Defensive Tackle #96 Mitchell Unrein play.
She and Mitchell got married in June of 2014.
On her Road to Rio qualification, Corey won the first World Cup of the 2015-16 season in Acapulco, Mexico and won a Silver medal in Azerbaijan. During the season, she held the #1 overall world ranking, was the only American to compete at the Top 12 World Cup Final and World Championship. Additionally, she earned the U.S. only Olympic quota spot during World Cup competitions.
Corey earned her Olympic spot by winning the U.S. Shooting Olympic Trials which took place in the Fall of 2015 and May of 2016 with the highest combined score of all competitors.
Prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics, Corey will have domestic and international World Cup events and split time between Colorado and Illinois.
Beyond the shooting range, she has a wide range of interests. Corey played basketball in grade school and was a competitive skier as a teen. Most recently, she began to climb under the hood and rebuild cars. She can add gears, take apart the transmission and even build the suspension in particular Jeeps and Mustangs. Corey has been a Resident Athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs prior to being married.
On an entrepreneurial side, Corey created a customization company that adds "bling" to your favorite sports team's jersey. After not digging what was on the market when she would attend Mitchell's Broncos games, she began to customize her apparel using Swarovski Crystal which became a big hit with other fans in attendance. Fans in the Denver area see her work on the backs and heads of the Broncos, NHL Avalanche and now Team USA.
Corey and Mitchell moved to the San Diego region in Summer 2015 after he signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers for the 2015 National Football League season, subsequently midway through the season Mitchell was acquired by the Chicago Bears and they now reside in the midwest.
Corey works as an athlete ambassador for Cabela's and has been a guest star on Animal Planet's "Wild West Alaska" in 2013 and in three episodes shot in the Fall of 2014 for air in Winter 2015. Additionally, she was featured on the National Rifle Association's "NRA All Access" that airs on Outdoor Channel in Fall 2015.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Corey won her 2nd Olympic Bronze medal. In the off season, Corey & Mitchell split their time between Alaska, Colorado and Chicago while she balances her schedule and is continuing on towards Tokyo 2020. In the Summer of 2017, Corey won the U.S. National Championship again in Shotgun Trap.