Collegians Collect but Veteran Shooters Rule at 2013 Winter Airgun Championships

If the 2013 Winter Airgun Championships proved anything, it’s that dominance is hard to come by in a sport decided by fractions of an inch.  The final event on the 2013 USA Shooting’s calendar saw Olympian Nick Mowrer (Butte, Mont.), Amy Sowash (Richmond, Ky.) and Teresa Chambers (Dearborn, Mich.) each win their respective events during two of the event’s three days.

Mowrer and Sowash both had their chance for a three-peat Sunday at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., but would settle for bronze medals instead. Chambers was .9 points away from winning on Friday, but fell just short with silver.  She rebounded over the weekend to earn two wins by .4 margin of victory on Saturday and a .6 edge on Sunday.

Those shooting veterans highlighted the weekend performances, but the collegiate rifle competitors also showcased the sport’s depth and future. It was a special weekend for USA Shooting, celebrating the inaugural event since the organization, with the help of donors and sponsors, invested $450,000 into new upgrades to its indoor 10-meter range.  More than 250 competitors took the firing lines decked out with new electronic scoring equipment courtesy of sponsor Megalink complimented by new lighting and technology.

Maligned much of the weekend from reaching the top of the podium, Kentucky rifle shooter Connor Davis (Shelbyville, Ky.) showcased the skill Sunday that led him to the National Championship this past summer and has him on his way to perhaps an even better 2014.  He claimed both the men’s open and junior air rifle titles Sunday.

A 21^st shot decided today’s open final as Davis and George Norton (Ft. Benning, Ga.) finished deadlocked after their first 20 shots.  Davis came out the winner in a final shoot-off shot with a well-placed 10.2 to Norton’s 10.0. University of Memphis rifle shooter Daniel Hermsmeier (Chesterfield, Mo.) followed with bronze.  Showcasing the event’s depth, three different winners graced the top step of the podium with Ryan Anderson (Wasilla, Alaska) and Bryant Wallizer (Little Orleans, Md.) each sharing the spotlight.

Davis also defeated Anderson in the junior final after a fatal 8.8 shot by Anderson in on his third to last shot. Anderson still walks away from the 2013 WAG Championships having earned five medals, including three gold, two silver.  Davis scored four medals with two gold and two silver.

Air Force Academy Rifle junior Meredith Carpentier (Waukegan, Ill.) walked away with first place in the Women’s Air Rifle final over Sarah Beard (Danville, Ind.) to add to an already impressive weekend for the 2013 Junior Olympic champion.  Carpentier claimed five medals overall including three gold and two bronze.

Youth wasn’t a factor for 15-year-old Elizabeth Marsh (Searcy, Ark.), who solidified her potential with an outstanding weekend that included three silver medals, including one in the open division.

Junior Air Pistol competitor Lydia Paterson (Kansas City, Kan.) showcased the shooting touch that saw her become a National Team member at this year’s USA Shooting National Championships, winning four medals overall including two junior gold medals, a junior silver and an open bronze medal.

Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.), a three-time Olympian and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the event, scored a win today to go along with Saturday’s second place result in the Men’s Air Pistol event that saw Mowrer take gold on two of the three days.  The silver medal went to Will Brown (Twin Falls, Idaho), a 2013 World Cup gold medalist, who earned his first medal in three events despite being highest qualifier each of the three days.

The other Brown family pistol shooter, Wyatt, picked up two of the three junior air pistol titles over the three days. The 2013 Junior Olympic Champion Brown edged Saturday’s event winner, Brian Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.), by 3.7 points Sunday.  Alexander Chichkov (Temple Terrace, Fla.) was the bronze medalist.

Paralympic events in rifle and pistol were also contested throughout the event.  In rifle, Joshua Budd (Ft. Benning, Ga.) won two of three events, but it was Army Marksmanship Unit teammate John Joss (Ft. Michael, Ala.) won the overall aggregate.  In pistol, Kerry Morris (Grand Prairie, Texas) won two of the three event finals, but it was Erik Trueblood (Ft. Benning, Ga.) who walked away as the overall winner using aggregate scoring.

Based on Winter Airgun performances, top air rifle and pistol shooters were selected for 2014 events including the 2014 Bavarian Airgun Championships, January 19-26 in Munich, Germany, and the 2014 World Cup USA in Ft. Benning, Ga., March 26 – April 4.

2014 Bavarian Airgun Championships – Rifle

• Men – Ryan Anderson, Greg Norton, Bryant Wallizer, Connor Davis
• Women – Amy Sowash, Elizabeth Gratz, Meredith Carpentier, Elizabeth Marsh
• Juniors – Lauren Phillips, Hannah Black, Garrett Spurgeon, Jean-Pierre Lucas

2014 Bavarian Airgun Championships – Pistol

• Men – Will Brown, Nick Mowrer, Jason Turner, James Henderson
• Women – Teresa Chambers, Courtney Anthony
• Juniors – Wyatt Brown, Alexander Chichkov, Alana Townsend, Lydia Paterson

2014 World Cup USA (Ft. Benning, Ga.) – Rifle Competitors

• Men – Ryan Anderson, Greg Norton, Bryant Wallizer
• Women – Meredith Carpentier, Elizabeth Gratz, Amy Sowash
• MQS – Elizabeth Marsh; Sarah Beard, Connor Davis and Tom Csenge
• Friday’s event recap
• Saturday’s event recap

For complete 2013 Winter Airgun results, click here:  http://bit.ly/1cuZ9On

For event photos, go to USA Shooting’s FLICKR site at: www.flickr.com/usashooting

Sunday’s Top-3 Results

Men’s Air Rifle

1. Connor Davis (Kentucky/Shelbyville, Ky.)
2. George Norton (USAMU/Ft. Benning, Ga.)
3. Daniel Hermsmeier (Memphis/Chesterfield, Mo.)

Jr. Men’s Air Rifle

1. Connor Davis (Kentucky/Shelbyville, Ky.)
2. Ryan Anderson (Alaska Fairbanks/Wasilla, Alaska)
3. Ian Foos (Bellevue, Ohio)

Women’s Air Rifle

1. Meredith Carpentier (Air Force/Waukegan, Ill.)
2. Sarah Beard (Danville, Ind.)
3. Amy Sowash (Richmond, Ky.)

Jr. Women’s Air Rifle

1. Elizabeth Gratz (Sigel, Ill.)
2. Kevyn Stinnett (Air Force/Colorado Springs, Colo.)
3. Meredith Carpentier (Air Force/Waukegan, Ill.)

Men’s Air Pistol

1. Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.)
2. Nick Mowrer (Butte, Mont.)
3. Will Brown (Twin Falls, Idaho)

Jr. Men’s Air Pistol

1. Wyatt Brown (Twin Falls, Idaho)
2. Brian Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.)
3. Alexander Chichkov (Temple Terrace, Fla.)

Women’s Air Pistol

1. Teresa Chambers (Dearborn, Mich.)
2. Enkelejda Shehaj (Naples, Fla.)
3. Courtney Anthony (Lexington, Neb.)

Jr. Women’s Air Pistol

1. Helen Oh (Walnut, Calif.)
2. Lydia Paterson (Kansas City, Kan.)
3. Kellie Foster (Rockdale, Texas)

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