Newsletter July 2022
Table of Contents Find a match near you.................................................................................................................................2 Fundraiser for the 2022 World Championships........................................................................................3 Pistol Athletes Earn National Junior Olympic Titles................................................................................4 Contact Us......................................................................................................................................................5 Shotgun Athletes Crush 2022 Junior Olympic Championships................................................................6 Upcoming Events..........................................................................................................................................7 Kozeniesky Adds World Cup Medal to 2022 Accomplishments...............................................................8 ELEY Extends USA Shooting Partnership Through 2028......................................................................9 Athlete Spotlight......................................................................................................................................10 Trap Worlds Team Secured after National Championships...................................................................12 NRA Foundation Grants $252,000 to USA Shooting................................................................................13 USA Shooting 2022 National Junior Skeet Team....................................................................................14 USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete Featured on Morning Show............................................................14 USA Shooting Partners...............................................................................................................................15
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Find a match near you Use the following link to look up competitons run by local clubs around the country: https://ems.usashooting.org/event_list 2
Fundrasier for the 2022 World Championships
USA Shooting athletes take on the world at the 2022 World Championships, competing for individual and team World Champion honors. To support our athletes’ preparation and travel to the World Championships, USA Shooting is kicking off a fundraising campaign and we need your help. Show your support by donating to a discipline (team) of your choice - Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol or Para. Help our athletes today! https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/WORLDS
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Pistol Athletes Earn National Junior Olympic titles Junior Pistol shooters from around the country came to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, July 24-31, for a chance to be crowned a 2022 National Junior Olympic Champion. All of the junior athletes at the competition had to qualify by shooting the minimum qualification score in their respective state’s 2022 Junior Olympic State Championships. During the national weeklong competition, National Junior Olympic Championship titles were awarded to the top shooters of each discipline, earning them a position on the National Futures Team. The overall female winner in 10M Air Pistol was Suman Sanghera, followed by Katherine Ahn who took home a silver medal, and Annabell Yi who earned bronze. Hunter Battig took home gold in the overall Men’s 10M Air Pistol finals. Nathan Bae earned silver after facing off with Battig in the gold medal match and Mark Shen took home bronze. In Sport Pistol, Abbie Leverett, an incoming freshman at The Ohio State University, earned the Junior Olympic Champion title. Ada Korkhin took home silver and Mehr Chanda earned bronze. Ryan Yi took home the gold in men’s overall Sport Pistol. Paul Kang earned silver, and Nathan Bae won bronze. Ryan Yi also earned the gold medal in Rapid Fire Pistol. Paul Kang earned silver, and David Hong took home bronze. Medals were also awarded to the top three male and female finishers in under 15 and under 18 age categories. Medalist results are as follows: Air Pistol Men’s U18 Gold- Remmington Smith Silver- Bryce Beckman Bronze- Marucs Klemp Women’s U18 Gold- Ada Korkhin 4
Silver- Riya Salian Bronze- Jenny Noh Men’s U15 Gold- William Regala Silver- Zachary Cundy Bronze- Ammar Bagasra Women’s U15 Gold- Mehr Chanda Silver- Lucia Kim Bronze- Rachel Kim Sport Pistol Men’s U15 Gold- Mark Shen Silver- William Regala Bronze- Ammar Bagasra
Mehr Chanda during air pistol.
Women’s U15 Gold- Saanvi Singh Silver- Kylie Wells Bronze- Chloe Bae Men’s U18 Gold- David Hong Silver- Ethan Lim Bronze- Brennan Laing Women’s U18 Gold- Katherine Ahn Silver-Riya Salian Bronze- Suman Sanghera
Austin Stone during rapid fire.
Men’s Rapid Fire Men’s U15 Gold- Mark Shen Silver- Ammar Bagasra Bronze- Nathan Chang Men’s U18 Gold- Sky Lim Silver- Nathan Bae Bronze- Brennan Laing
Overall rapid fire medalists.
Find all official results here. View photos of the event here.
Top L: The top three overall Women’s Air Pistol Winners. L to R Katherine Ahn, silver, Suman Sanghera, gold, and Annabell Yi, bronze. Top R: Sport Pistol overall medalists. L to R, Ada Korkhin, silver, Abbie Leverett, gold, Mehr Chanda, bronze. Bottom L: Men’s Air Pistol overall medalists. L to R, Nathan Bae, silver; Hunter Battig, gold; Mark Shen, bronze. Bottom R: Men’s U15 Sport Pistol medalists. L to R, William Regala, silver; Mark Shen, gold; Ammar Bagasra, bronze.
Contact us
Brent McPherson, Chief Operating Officer Brent.McPherson@usashooting.org Alex Szablewski, Director of High Performance Alex.Szablewski@usashooting.org Buddy DuVall, Chief Marketing Officer Buddy.duvall@usashooting.org Brittany Nelson, Comms and PR Mgr. Brittany.nelson@usashooting.org Reya Kempley, Operations Mgr. Reya.kempley@usashooting.org
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Andrew Traciak, Mgr. of Comps & Membership Andrew.Traciak@usashooting.org Jason Turner, National Pistol Coach Jason.Turner@usashooting.org Jay Waldron, National Shotgun Coach Jay.waldron@usashooting.org Sharee Waldron, Shotgun Program Manager Sharee.waldron@usashooting.org Peter Durben, National Rifle Coach Peter.durben@usashooting.org
Shotgun Athletes Crush 2022 Junior Olympic Championships Over 100 junior shotgun athletes competed in the 2022 Junior Olympic National Championships at the John A. Halter Shooting Sports Center in Hillsdale, Michigan, July 2531. In the first half of the competition, the Junior Olympic Trap National Champions were crowned. Sydney Krieger, from Arizona, and Sam Blevins, of Kentucky, took home gold for overall women and men respectively. After a shoot off, Kaleigh Castillo, from California, took home silver in overall women’s trap and Abbey Wigh, from Florida, took home bronze. In the overall men’s trap category, Lance Thompson, of Pennsylvania, took home silver and Matthew Kutz, from Texas, earned bronze. Kaleigh Castillo, Abbey Wigh, Sam Blevins and Tony Meola earned JO Squad positions on the Trap Team as the highest finishers not already on the Junior National Team. Haidyn Stewart, Jacenta Jacob, Josh Corbin and Samuel Woodall earned JO Skeet Squad positions. In skeet, Lia Nelson earned the title of National Junior Olympian, taking home gold for the overall women’s category. Benjamin Keller also took home this title in the overall men’s category. The other medalists for overall women’s skeet are Madeline Corbin, from 6
Wisconsin, who took home silver, and, Fayth Layne, from Tennessee who earned bronze. For men’s overall skeet, Joshua Corbin earned silver, and Samuel Woodall took home bronze. In the foreign visitors category, Ricardo Rodriguez, of Peru, earned gold, and Gunindera Singh, of Canada, won silver. Medals were also awarded to the top three male and female finishers in under 15, under 18 and collegiate categories. Medalist results are as follows: Trap Women’s U18 Gold- Carey Garrison (TN) 109 Silver- Micaela Velasquez (TX) 103 Bronze- Kamea Herrera (WA) 102
Jacksonville University 106 Bronze- Marian Zerby (FL) University of Alabama Alabama 106
Men’s U18 Gold- Tony Meola (FL) 117 Silver- Eyan Marx (WI) 112 Bronze- Kaleb Horinek (UT) 111
Collegiate Women Gold- Jacenta Jacob (MI) Macomb CC 109 Silver- Emersyn Berck (KS) Kansas State 108 Bronze- Jessi Griffin (GA) Chattahoochee Tech 108
Women’s U15 Gold- Gracie Shoaf (NC) 84 Silver- Esther Cui (AZ) 55 Bronze- Anne Tichotsky AK) 37 Men’s U15 Gold- Ajay Jarrett (CA) 107 Silver- David Hall (UT) 100 Bronze- Bryan Holtkamp (FL) 93 Collegiate Women Gold- Aiko Bianca Coloso (FL) St. Petersburg College 108 Silver- Chantry Stermer (NM)
Collegiate Men Gold- Emmanuel Butdorf (OH) Jacksonville University 116 Silver- Jack Nelson (ID) Concordia 111 Bronze: Camron Burks (AL) University of Tennessee Southern 109 Skeet Women’s U18 Gold- Haidyn Stewart (GA) 111 Silver- Mikena Grace Fulton (AZ) 104 Bronze- Karsyn Ross (TX) 102 Men’s U18 Gold- Aidin Burns (TX) 116 Silver- Jarrod Croley (KY) 111 Bronze- Westley Kiter (NC) 111
Collegiate Men Gold- Alex Ahlin (SC) University of South Carolina 116 Silver- Matthew Brindley (IA) William Penn University 114 Bronze- Kyle Fleck (MI) Hillsdale College 113 Find all official results here. View photos of the event here.
Top L: The men’s overall skeet winners. L to R, Joshua Corbin, silver; Benjamin Keller, gold; Samuel Woodall, bronze. Top R: The women’s overall skeet winners. L to R, Madeline Corbin, silver; Lia Nelson, gold; and Fayth Layne, bronze. Bottom L: The women overall trap winners. L to R Kaleigh Castillo, silver; Sydney Krieger, gold; and Abbey Wigh, bronze. Bottom R: The overall men’s trap medalists. L to R, Lance Thompson, silver; Sam Blevins, gold; Matthew Kutz, bronze.
Upcoming Events Smallbore Pistol Selection Match Aug 5-7 Colo Spgs, Colorado Smallbore Rifle Selection Match Aug 8-11 Colo Spgs, Colorado 2022 ISSF World Championship (Shotgun) Sept. 19- Oct. 12 Osijek, Croatia 7
2022 ISSF World Championship (Rifle/Pistol) Oct. 12-25 Cairo, Egypt 2022 WSPS World Championship Nov. 3-18 Al Ain, UAE XIII CAT Championship Nov. 3-13 Lima, Peru
Kozeniesky Adds World Cup Medal to 2022 Accomplishments Lucas Kozeniesky earned a silver medal in Men’s 10M Air Rifle at the Changwon, Korea, World Cup, adding to his many titles earned in just 2022 alone. “I went out there and performed the way I wanted to, I was very pleased” said Kozeniesky, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist. “This gave me confidence and told me there is room for growth leading into the World Championships.” The World Cup medalist mentioned that Changwon was good practice for the Olympic Games because he wasn’t competing in many of events and was able to focus his efforts on the individual competitions, much like the environment of the Games. Kozeniesky also earned two titles at the 2022 Rifle National Championships weeks before the World Cup. He won gold in Men’s 50M Smallbore and silver in Men’s 10M Air Rifle. “At nationals I shot the best air gun I have since the Olympics,” said Kozeniesky, who is
Kozeniesky after winning gold in men’s smallbore at the 2022 Rifle National Championships.
ranked ninth in the world for Men’s 10M Air Rifle. At the Rio World Cup in April, Kozeniesky started off his list of 2022 titles with a bronze medal in Men’s 50m Smallbore Team, along with teammates Ivan Roe and Tim Sherry, and 8
Kozeniesky with his Men’s 10M Air Rifle silver medal at the Changwon World Cup. Photo courtesy of the ISSF.
a gold medal in Men’s Air Rifle team with Will Shaner and Rylan Kissell. “In team events you rely on the other athletes to preform,” said Kozeniesky, a North Carolina State University alumnus. “Will and Rylan shot well in air, so it was a great team effort.” Not only does Kozeniesky train full time at the Olympic and Paralympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but he also manages his own coaching business, Team Winning Solutions. “I have to utilize a lot of time management, prioritization, and planning with the athletes to make sure they get everything they need,” said Kozeniesky about balancing both full time jobs. “Leading into nationals, I found creative ways to train that would also help my athletes improve. There is a lot of overlap between their shooting career development and mine.” Kozeniesky is currently training for a smallbore rifle selection match and the 2022 World Championships that will be held in Egypt this fall. The two-time Olympian will be looking to make the Worlds team for both air and smallbore rifle. To help support Kozeniesky and other USA Shooting athletes on their journey to worlds, visit our crowdfunding campaign at https:// app.mobilecause.com/vf/WORLDS.
ELEY Extends USA Shooting Partnership Through 2028 ELEY is proud to announce a renewed long-term partnership with the USA Shooting Team. The contract will see athletes compete with ELEY ammunition at the Olympic Games in Paris, 2024 as well as Los Angeles, 2028. Athletes will also be showcasing their skills at events in a busy ISSF calendar in the run-up to Paris. “The USA Shooting Team is a perfect partner for our ‘Choice of Champions’ value,” said Michael Atkinson ELEY Marketing Director. “ It is an honor to again be working with the dynamic USA Shooting Team. As in past years, we will continue to inspire and help people reach their competitive shooting goals, surpass their potential and enhance their enjoyment of participation in shooting sports. Our products allow target shooters at Club, World, and Olympic levels to realize their potential and win. We produce technically superior ammunition, whilst providing an excellent service to target shooters throughout the world.” USA Shooting is excited about the long-term partnership through the 2028 LA Olympic and Paralympic Games. “ELEY’s partnership continues to play a vital role in the success of USA Shooting’s rifle and pistol athletes in international, Olympic, and Paralympic competitions,” said Buddy DuVall, CMO for USA Shooting. “Having ELEY as a long-term partner will ensure that our athletes have world-class ELEY Tenex ammunition and ELEY testing facilities for matching the best possible ammo to each team member’s rifle or pistol. Winning at the highest levels of international competition demands shooting the most accurate and reliable ammunition possible, that’s what ELEY delivers for USA Shooting.” ELEY’s premium cartridge, Tenex, has been used by Olympic champions throughout the world since 1964 when the new .22 entered the world of competition shooting at the Tokyo Olympic Games, winning all gold and silver medals in the .22 rifle and pistol events. This success story continues nearly sixty years later at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with the Tenex cartridges winning 6 medals, 2 Gold, 2 Silver, and 2 Bronze, bringing ELEY’s Olympic medal haul to 131 in total. About ELEY ELEY is renowned for its product excellence in sporting ammunition, capturing more Olympic medals than all other manufacturers combined, has taken another huge leap towards its vision of becoming the most connected, customer-focused competition brand in the world. 9
Athlete Spotlight
Kevin Nguyen, Para Rifle Kevin Nguyen is a 2020 Paralympian and most recently won gold in both R6 Smallbore and R3 air rifle at the 2022 Rifle National Championships. How did you get into the sport of shooting? It was a job that was offered to me by the Army after I got out of rehab for my injury. I went to Fort Benning in 2014 to tour the Army Marksmanship Unit and did a week-long clinic. It looked like a lot of fun and they offered me a position. What is your favorite aspect about the sport? Definitely the people and the travel. I have met a lot of great people in this sport, and I never thought that I would get to travel all over the world, it has been amazing. What was it like to compete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games? It felt like any other match really. I shot air first and I was nervous, so I am glad I shot that before smallbore and got all the jitters out of the way. Smallbore was my favorite event, John Joss shot next to me. We were in a good mindset and we shot our very best at the Games. I was happy with my performance.
Nguyen with his R6 Smallbore gold medal at the 2022 Rifle National Championships.
What has been your most intense competition? It has to be Lima 2021, the last World Cup before Tokyo. It was the last chance to pick up a quota for the Games. It was a two-part qualification for smallbore and it was nerve racking. I made the final and I focused on shooting good shots. I placed second and got the quota. Who has been the most influential person to your shooting career? There are so many. I have met so many people throughout my career and they have all played a significant part. Do you have any hobbies? I love to go skydiving. I also play a tabletop game called Warhammer 40k. It is a sci-fi game with characters you can buy and paint. What is next for you? The World Championships in UAE in November.
Nguyen competing at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games in August of 2021. Photo by Maj. Nathaniel Garcia.
To learn about more of USA Shooting’s athletes, visit https://www.usashooting.org 10
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Trap Worlds Team Secured After National Championships Championships in the trap event at Hillsdale, Michigan July 20-24, for their chance to secure a title and a possible World Championship Team spot. Rachel Tozier, a Sgt. with the Army Marksmanship Unit, secured the open women’s gold medal. Julia Stallings took home the silver in that category and Aeriel Skinner earned bronze. Based off of scores from National Championships, and a selection match earlier this year, the 2022 World Championship Team for Women’s Trap is Kayle Browning, Aeriel Skinner, and Rachel Tozier. In the open men category, Derrick Mein, currently ranked number one in the world for men’s trap, took home the gold. Will Hinton earned the silver medal and Glenn Eller won bronze. The 2022 World Championship Team for Men’s Trap is Derrick Mein, Will Hinton, and Casey “Jake” Wallace. “Everyone came prepared and shot high caliber scores,” said Jay Waldron, National Shotgun Coach. “It feels good to have the [trap] world team selected. I am looking forward to going to worlds and doing some damage.” On the junior side of the house, the top three overall women medalists are Marian Zerby, a Florida native, who took home gold; Ryann Phillips, from Texas, who earned silver; and Carey Garrison, from Tennessee, who won bronze. For the junior men’s category, Matthew Kutz, a Texan, won the gold; Sam Blevins, from Kentucky, took home silver; and Caleb Cutler, from Texas, earned bronze. For Paralympic Trap category, Jose Martinez Pico, from North Carolina, won gold; Sophia Bultema, from Colorado, earned silver; and Zachary Jones, from Texas, won bronze. In the senior men’s category, Scott Miller, from Nevada, took home gold; Charles Jenson, of Indiana, earned silver; and David Campana, of Michigan, earned bronze. 12
L to R: Will Hinton, Derrick Mein, and Glenn Eller, the overall men’s open trap national medalists. Photo by John Thompson.
Medals for the top three competitors were also awarded in the following categories: over 60 men, over 70 men, visitors, U18 men and women, collegiate men and women, and U15 men and women. Find all official results here. Up next for the shotgun team is the 2022 Shotgun Junior Olympic National Championships, July 25-31, and the 2022 Skeet National Championships, Aug. 2-6, both at Hillsdale’s John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center. “Hillsdale is a wonderful host, and the level of support USA Shooting has received from this partnership is simply amazing,” said Waldron. View photos of the event here.
Left: Julia Stallings, Rachel Tozier, and Aeriel Skinner, the overall women’s trap national medalists. R: Para medalists Sophia Bultema and Jose Martinez Pico. Photos by John Thompson
NRA Foundation Grants $252,000 to USA Shooting By Shooting Sports USA Staff The NRA Foundation and USA Shooting are proud to announce a new partnership that will help remedy an unexpected and critical shotgun ammunition shortage facing the USA Shooting Team. Athletes training and competing in the International Skeet and Trap events use a specific international shotshell which is difficult to obtain under normal circumstances. Acquiring the specific shotshell has been even more challenging with the existing ammo shortage – ammo that’s desperately needed for the team’s continued success on the national and international stage. To that end, The NRA Foundation Board of Trustees approved a $252,000 grant for USA Shooting to be used exclusively for the purchase of ammunition that will be used by the National Team, National Development Team, and National Junior Team. “For decades The NRA Foundation has provided essential funding to benefit the shooting sports,” said Tyler Schropp, Executive Director of The NRA Foundation. “When we were approached with this opportunity, it just made sense. Thanks to our generous and committed donors, we are able to fulfill this urgent need of America’s aspiring Olympians.” USA Shooting athletes won a total of six medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with four captured in Olympic shotgun events - Skeet (2 gold), Trap (silver) and Mixed Team Trap (bronze). This grant will provide the shotgun team with critical resources needed to continue their winning momentum in preparation for the 2022 World Championships and beyond. “The last three years have posed tremendous challenges to our sport in the form of event cancellations, the postponement of the Olympics, and severe supply chain constraints on ammunition,” said Buddy DuVall, USA Shooting Chief Marketing Officer. “We are thrilled to be partnering with The NRA Foundation to provide the very best training and competition ammunition to the shotgun team that has won 30 medals this year in World Cup competitions.” “We look forward to partnering with The NRA Foundation in the future on the shared goal of growing the shooting sports and putting American shooting athletes on the Olympic podium” said DuVall. 13
USA Shooting 2022 National Junior Skeet Team By Susan Nelson, contributing writer
USA Shooting’s 2022 National Junior Skeet team was determined after the selection part two competition at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center in Kerrville, Texas, March 11-12, 2022. Mikena “Grace” Fulton, from Tucson, Arizona, came in first for the junior women’s team with a score of 347. Second place is Alishia “Fayth” Layne, of Columbia, Tennessee, who shot a 334. Julia “Lia” Nelson, of Ada, Minnesota, secured the third place with a score of 328. The alternate spot goes to Madeline Corbin, of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, with a score of 319. On the junior men’s side, first place was earned by Aidin Burns, of Ingram, Texas, scoring 367. Ben Keller, of Johnstown, Colorado, won second place, shooting a score 360. Third place went to Jordan Sapp, of Gilbert, Arizona, who shot 355. Alex Ahlin, from Bamberg, South Carolina, earned the alternate spot after shooting 347. All selection results can be found here. The top three females and males traveled to Suhl, Germany, May 11-20, to compete at the 2022 Junior World Cup. The team brought home three medals: two gold and one bronze Read more about the competition here. Up next for the junior shotgun team is the ISSF World Championships in Osijek, Croatia, Sept. 19- Oct. 25.
Top: L to R, Aidin Burns, Grace Fulton, Ben Keller, Lia Nelson, Jordan Sapp, and Fayth Layne in Germany at the JR World Cup. Bottom: The national Junior team after the second selection match. L to R: Alex Ahlin, Ben Keller, Aidin Burns, Jordan Sapp, Madeline Corbin, Fayth Layne, Grace Fulton, and Lia Nelson. Courtesy photos
USA Shooting Paralympic Athlete Featured on Morning Show Our rifle Paralympian McKenna Geer was on the morning show Loving Living Local Colorado! Check out these behind-the-scenes photos of her interview. Courtesy photos. 14
USA Shooting Partners
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