Collegiate Communiqué
RIFLE • PISTOL • SHOTGUN
NRA Collegiate & School Programs Established 1979
Summer 2012
e t a i g e l l o c r e t n I s p A i R h N s n 2 o 1 i 20 l Champ o t s i P
In This Issue… Intercollegiate Pistol Championship… ……… 1-2 Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship… ………… 3 2012 All-Americans… …… 4 ACUI Shotgun… ………… 5 Announcing the 2013 Championships…………… 6
yle Ji By K
Directory… ……………… 6 NCAA Rifle… …………… 7 Volunteer Thank You!… …… 8 2012 Collegiate Coach Conference…………………… 8
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he 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships, held March 13-17 by the United States Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, determined the national individual and team champions in NRA Intercollegiate Pistol competition. Championships were shot in Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, Open Air Pistol, Women’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol.
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of Pike’s Peak Community College, thoroughly outshot the Free Pistol competition. Training for a spot on the USA Shooting team who will represent the United States in the 2012 London Olympics, Mowrer’s discipline and steady aim helped him take his first championship of the week by 36.9 points after shooting a final score of 651.6.
Teams looking to compete for the prestigious titles must shoot in NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Sectionals during the winter for the chance to receive an invitation to the annual match.
Women’s Sport Pistol
Free Pistol
The two shooters found themselves in a similar position again this year, although the results were not so similar. Deppe put forth a monumental effort, posting a crushing score of 663.3 which dwarfed Asdal, who had slipped from last year and shot a 634.8. Asdal’s score was still enough to take second and the two traded standings from last year as Heather Deppe claimed the Women’s Sport Pistol title.
The Free Pistol Championships, the first of the five, began on a foggy morning as shooters from colleges across the United States took to the line with pistols in hand. Ohio State, last year’s Free Pistol champions, hoped for a repeat performance, but were no match for the United States Naval Academy. Navy’s shooters came out strong, surpassing Ohio State by 13 points on their way to taking the title with a 2011 of 2400.
The 2011 individual champion, Nick Mowrer
In 2011, Navy’s Kirstin Asdal edged out the West Point’s Heather Deppe for a 655.3 to 653.9 victory in the Women’s Sport Pistol Championship.
Asdal would not leave Ft. Benning emptyhanded, however, as teammates Emily Meyer and Catherine Drake’s steady shots helped Navy capture team championship with a 1616 of 1800, 19 points ahead of second place West Point.
Standard Pistol Hot off her win in Women’s Sport Pistol, West Point’s Heather Deppe was hopeful of her performance in the next day’s Standard Pistol Championship. Fortune, unfortunately, was just out of reach for the young cadet. Despite shooting a 562, Deppe could not overcome Nick Mowrer’s exceptionally accurate shooting. The Pikes Peak deadeye blazed through the targets to take his second title of the year with a 572. Although Deppe fell short in the individual title, like Navy’s Asdal the day prior her team’s accurate shooting ensured they would not leave without at least one trophy. The Cadets finished with a 2131 of 2400, snatching the title from Ohio State by a single point.
Women’s Air Pistol
won Women’s Air Pistol and along with it the 2012 Women’s Individual Aggregate.
Open Air Pistol The United States Naval Academy had tunnel vision going into the NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships’ final match. If they could take Open Air Pistol they would have taken four of the five championships and clinch the 2012 team aggregate. Nick Mowrer also had his eye on an Open Air Pistol title. If he could take this last championship he would have gone three for three, sweeping the individual titles on the way to his third individual aggregate. After the 60 shots, Mowrer advanced to the finals with a 16 point lead. Ten more shots and the sweep would be complete. A lead that substantial would be hard to beat, but you don’t want to relax when that
The United States Naval Academy and United States Military Academy each had one championship in the Women’s Championship. If either could sweep Women’s Air Pistol they would be sure to take the team aggregate and would likely win the individual aggregate as well. A sweep would also mean three of the four women’s trophies would reside at their Academy until next year. After forty carefully aimed shots in the ten meter indoor range, Navy came out on top and locked up the Women’s Team Aggregate with a final score of 1102 of 1200. Navy’s impressive shooting had them 25 points over West Point, who had faltered at line but still managed to come in second. The pool of shooters narrowed down to the top eight for the individual title’s finals, Navy’s Emily Meyer, stood at point No. 1 with her eyes on a second individual title this year. Shortly into the 10-shot final, Meyer ran into trouble as her teammate, Kirsten Asdal, zeroed in on her target, temporarily bringing the two to a tie. With pressure bearing down, Meyer took a few deep breaths, found a new calm and carried on. Meyer and Asdal went back and forth over the next few shots until Meyer held a 1.3 point lead going into the final shot. The crowd sat with baited breath as the finalists took aim for the last time. Sporting a final total of 465.3, Emily Meyer had
close to a title and Nick still needed all the practice he could get if he was going to make the USA Olympic Team. Making every shot count, Mowrer posted a 98.4 of a possible 109 in the finals for a total score of 673.4 and set his pistol down the 2012 individual champion. Taking first place in Free Pistol, Standard Pistol and Open Air Pistol, Mowrer’s 1700 of 1800 brought him the Individual Aggregate title; his third time receiving the award. Mowrer’s closest competitor was Navy’s Timothy Steinberg who finished 97 points behind. Finishing first in Open Air Pistol with a 2224 of 2400, Navy secured the Team Aggregate title in addition to the Women’s Team Aggregate, shooting a 6325 of 7200 and 2718 of 3000 respectively. With 2012 in the books, the United States Naval Academy has until next spring until they must defend their titles. Nick Mowrer, a senior in college, will not get another chance to sweep the titles next year and leaves a power vacuum for Individual Aggregate. Who will step up and take the top award next year? There’s still plenty of time to practice.
Michigan State Spartans Sweep NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships By Kyle Jillson
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reated in 2010, the NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships provide a championship for collegiate teams not eligible with the NCAA. This year’s championships were hosted March 13-16 by the United States Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning as a part of the inaugural Army Strong Collegiate Shooting Championships.
Chapel Hill’s Abi Winegarden for the individual title, led the Spartans to a 69 point lead over Penn State. The overall title was far from secure with the Smallbore Championship looming and Michigan State needed to stay focused. Any number of things could allow Penn State and inter-state rival University of Michigan to rush in and leap ahead.
The USAMU’s range, both state-of-the-art and large in size, easily accommodated the collegiate shooters gathered for the third annual championship.
The Spartans needed big scores out of all four team members in smallbore and that’s exactly what they got. The Nittany Lions’ brought their best accuracy to bear, attempting to surge ahead, but Michigan State held them off and shot a 2172, taking Air Rifle by 27.
In lieu of a regular season to determine championship bids, the competing NRA College Rifle Clubs, Varsity Rifle Teams, ROTC Teams and independent shooters must qualify through NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Sectionals months in advance in order to receive a championships invitation. Shooting a combined 4457 out of 4800 in the smallbore and air rifle championships, the Michigan State Spartans won their first Team Aggregate, besting runners-up and 2011 champions Penn State University in the process. The Spartans’ steady aim and concentration was unmatched as they took first place in both the Smallbore Championship and Air Rifle Championship by significant margins. “It’s been a long year for us,” said Michigan State coach Keith Hein. “This feels great and we’ve worked hard for it.”
Amos’ hunt for the Smallbore Championship was tougher than in air rifle. His brother, teammate and 2011 Individual Champion Clayton Peck lay at the shooting point next door as Amos’ score of 559 won him the Air Rifle Championship, and the sweep, by the slimmest of margins. At a firing point not too far away, much like the proximities of their schools, University of Michigan’s Ann Sullivan had kept pace with Peck and wanted the air rifle title just as bad. A first rate rifle shooter herself, the Wolverine posted a 558 in smallbore, losing the title to Peck by just one point. With the 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships in the books, Michigan State returned to the Great Lake State with an armful of trophies. The Spartans had accomplished both the top team and individual performances of the championships and would have a year to bask in the victory before stepping back up to the firing line – this time to defend a title.
Michigan State’s success went beyond capturing the Team Championship. Spartan Amos Peck took the Individual Championship after shooting a combined 1149 of 1200 in the smallbore and air rifle championships as well as placing first in each. “I’ve been preparing for this for years,” Peck said. “Even though I was hopeful to win the match, I’ve learned through the years you go in confident to win but prepared to lose.” The Michigan State shooters finished Wednesday’s Air Rifle Championship strong and in the lead. Peck, who narrowly beat out teammate Tyler Luce and University of North Carolina – 3
Congratulations to the 100 + collegiate athletes who were awarded with NRA All American honors in 2012! For a complete list of all the award winners please visit: http://www.nrahq.org/compete/col-aa-team.asp
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2012
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Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships
ith an overall team score of 2263 out of 2350, Lindenwood University captured its ninth consecutive High Overall Aggregate at the 44th annual Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Clay Target Championships, held at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. Lindenwood teams were unmatched in the four events whose aggregates determine overall championship, placing first in International Skeet, International Trap, American Skeet and American Trap. The Lions also took first place in Sporting Clays, one of the two additional events that took place during the championships and finished second, by one point, in Five Stand, narrowly missing the sweep. The past four wins have come under the under the tutelage of Shawn Dulohery who took over as head coach of the Lindenwood Shotgun Sports Program in 2008. Lindenwood beat out rival Bethel University, a newcomer whose first appearance was in 2010, by 85 points. Despite this being their third year in the championships, Bethel has quickly established themselves as one of the top schools in competition. Texas A&M University trailed the Lions and Wildcats, coming in third place with a 2151. The Clay Target Championships, in addition to team competition, features men’s and women’s individual championships – both of which were won by Lindenwood.
By Kyle Jillson
Lions shooters dominated each day’s team competition and you could be sure to find at least one shooter sporting the gold and black uniform in every finals, shoot-off and usually among those who placed. Out of a potential 550, Lindenwood’s Sarah Hughes shot her way to the Women’s HOA with a flat 500, 22 points higher than second place’s Ashleigh Hafley of Bethel University. The men’s title came down to two Lindenwood shooters as Casey Van Sant’s 518 edged out Sarah’s brother, Matt Hughes, by just two points. Among the Division II schools, Southeastern Illinois College captured the team title after its shooters collectively posted a score of 2159. Their title run was no easy task as Fort Hays State University came in second by just nine points, shooting a 2150. The University of Missouri rounded out the top three with a 2076. In Division III, Hillsdale College’s 1402 took the team championship as Clemson University and Jacksonville University shot 1398 and 1263 respectively for second and third. ACUI’s Clay Target Championships have seen significant growth the past few years which continued in 2012. With the addition of seven new teams this year, the championships sported 59 schools representing 32 states. From these teams, a 22% increase in attendance over 2011 brought the number of shooters in San Antonio from 439 to 537. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and many thanks to all the shooters who came out. These championships are growing into something huge and it’s all because of you.
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Mark Your Calendars! The 2013 collegiate championship schedule has been determined: NCAA Rifle March 7-9, 2013
The Ohio State University
NRA Pistol March 17-22, 2013 Fort Benning, GA
ACUI Clay Target March 26-31, 2013 San Antonio, TX
NRA Rifle Club March 22-24, 2013 Fort Benning, GA
2012 NCAA Rifle Championships
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he University of Kentucky headed into the 2012 NCAA Rifle Championships at The Ohio State University as defending champions. Finishing runner up four times since the championships began in 1980, the Wildcats finally won their first Rifle championship the previous year, defeating the winningest team in the sport’s history – 14-time champion West Virginia University. Defending their title would be no easy task. Of the eight teams who qualified for the championships, all were capable of carrying the National Championship trophy home with them.
Foremost of Kentucky’s challengers was Texas Christian University. The all-girls Texas Christian team absolutely rolled through the regular season, pushing a winning streak that began in the 2009-2010 season to 31 matches. The year their streak began was the same season the Horned Frogs won their first title. Despite an exceptional season for the defending champions, Kentucky came into the championships ranked third. Texas Christian and West Virginia sat ahead of them at first and second respectively. While rankings are a useful guide, when teams are so close in ability everything tends to go out the window once the range has gone hot. Friday’s Smallbore Championship was no exception, as Kentucky took the team championship with a 2328 out of 2400, holding just a three point lead over the United States Military Academy and a five point lead over Texas Christian. Would their lead be enough? In 2011 the
Wildcats were in a similar situation. Going into the second day’s Air Rifle Championship with a seven point lead, they emerged victorious by three after West Virginia’s hard push for a fifteenth title. Everything was on the line during Saturday’s Air Rifle Championship. Lead by recently-qualified USA Shooting member Sarah Scherer, Texas Christian’s shots found their targets for a 2353 of 2400. Kentucky’s shooters did not fare as well, tumbling to a score of 2333 and giving up the 2012 National Championship to Texas Christian University by 15 points. The Horned Frogs were once again National Champions. The team championship wasn’t all the TCU girls would take home. Olympian Sarah Scherer won the individual smallbore championship with a 688.6 of 709. West Virginia’s Petra Zublasing would claim the second day’s individual air rifle championship with a 696.2 of 709. For the second time in three years Coach Karen Monez guided Texas Christian University to an NCAA National Championship. Monez, who took the coaching job in 2004, has been a part of three World Championships teams and the winner of fifteen NRA individual titles (including ten Sea Girt trophy vases in fifteen years). It is no surprise the Horned Frogs have become a national powerhouse with this NRA Life Member at the helm.
By Kyle Jillson
Thank You 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Championship Volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering at a NRA Collegiate Shooting event, please visit http://www.nrahq.org/compete/volunteer.asp for more information.