Morales and Osborn Set New Precedent at First-Ever CMP National 3P Air Rifle Championship

ANNISTON, AL – The first-ever Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) National Air Rifle Championship for sporter and precision juniors brought the talents of individual, school, and club shooters to a realm of peak athleticism. With sweat, tears and smiles, legacies began as each winner became the first in the history of the competition.

Kyle Morales of Bordelon Rifles in Texas took home the individual sporter gold medal after firing 646.8-21x.

Midway USA was the official sponsor of the CMP Postal, Regional and National Championships. Throughout the competitions, Midway awarded generous endowments to first, second and third place teams. Midway USA is a leading U.S. firearms products retailer, committed to helping sustain junior shooting programs across the country.

The competition started at the Postal and State levels before breaking into three Regional events in New Mexico, Ohio and Alabama. Winners of the Regional match were given a spot at the National competition at the CMP Marksmanship Center in Anniston, AL.

A barbeque was held outside of the CMP Marksmanship Center building for competitors and guests following the sporter and precision competitions.

The sporter competition was held on Tuesday, July 9. Individuals and teams earned awards in different categories during the competition.

Sierra Czap, 16, of Franklin County High School in Rock Mount, VA, earned the high prone award. The high standing award was presented to Kyle Morales, 16, of Bordelon Rifles from San Antonio, TX, while Rachael Schoenrock, 16, of Homestead 4-H Shooting Sports Club from Beatrice, NE, won the high kneeling award.

In individual awards, the top 8 shooters received medals from the CMP, while the top 5 received cash awards along with their medals.

Ivan Roe of Gallatin Valley Sharp Shooters in Montana took home a check from the CMP for $750 after his second place finish in the sporter class.

Rounding out the top 3 was Jacob Cress, 16, of Zion Benton High School in Zion, IL, in third place with an aggregate score of 641.8-20x, just behind Ivan Roe, 17, of Gallatin Valley Sharp Shooters in Bozeman, MT, who came in second place with a score of 643.2-19x. Roe also took home a check from the CMP for $750, while Cress earned $500 from CMP. Kyle Morales took home the gold for the individual awards, firing a combined score of 646.8-21x. Morales received a $1,000 check from the CMP.

The South African National School Shooters Union traveled across the Atlantic for the opportunity to shoot alongside talented American juniors.

Dominic De Mesquita,17, from the South African National School Shooters Union received the high visitor award, outshooting the Americans with a score of 646.9-22x. De Mesquita received a CMP medal for his outstanding skills. With a giant exhale and a large smile on his face, De Mesquita could only get out, “I’m very excited,” after his win.

“On behalf of the South African team, thank you very much for your friendliness. We really enjoyed it. For us, it was really a privilege being here, and luckily we didn’t do too bad,” Coach Weyers said to the crowd at the awards ceremony. “Hopefully we can come visit in the near future.”

Franklin County High School brought home first place in the overall sporter team competition, while Zion Benton Teams 1 and 2 took home third and second place, respectively.

In overall team competition, Franklin County High School took home the first place trophy with a combined score of 2180-72x. Team members include Brantley Santrock, Cody Ashby, Michael Barton, Jonathan Gove and coach Lt. Col. William Carter. Along with a $4,000 check from CMP, the team also received $5,000 from Midway USA towards their endowment.

Coming in second was Zion Benton High School Team 2, with a score of 2172-72x. The team earned a $2,500 check from CMP and $3,500 towards their Midway endowment. Members of Zion Benton Team 2 are Kevin Hamilton, Justine Hamilton, Ragel Ibarra, Zachary Dumyahn and coach Master Chief Dan Hackstein. Zion Benton’s Team 1, including members Jacob Cress, Kayla Savage, Mitchell Csorba and Tyler Kerbs, took home the third place trophy, firing a 2171-72x. The third place team received a $1,500 check from CMP and $2,500 towards their Midway endowment.

Elizabeth Marsh shot a 690.8-46x for third place in the precision class.

The precision competition was held on July 14. Tied scores and a dramatic final topped off the exciting day of shooting for the competitors.

A three-way tie was set for the high prone award by Shelby Sandstrom,17, of the Post 435 X-Men of Minnesota, Ariana Grabowski,17, of Frazier Simplex Center Shot in Pennsylvania and Megan Stulken,16, of Pierre, SD, who all shot 200-20x.

Counselors from CMP’s summer camps were on hand as range officers during the competition.

The high standing award went to Alison Weisz,18, of Gallatin Valley Sharp Shooters, firing a score of 197-13x, while Jack Anderson,16, of Oil City Junior Rifle in Oil City, PA, took home the high kneeling award with his score of 198-17x.

In individual awards, Elizabeth Marsh, 15, of Searcy, AR, took the third place spot with a score of 690.8-46x. She also received a $500 check from CMP. Michael Steinel,16, of Great Trails Musketeers from Ohio came in ahead of Marsh with a score of 691.1-38x for the second place spot, earning a check for $750 from the CMP. Taking the top spot in the individual awards was Sarah Osborn,14, of Patriot Rifle Team from Virginia, with her combined score of 691.3-40x. Along with a gold medal, she was also given a $1,000 from the CMP.

Michael Steinel secured the second place spot in the precision competition, firing a 691.1-38x.

Osborn was brought to tears after her win, firing a 10.5 to surprisingly jump from third place to first, overtaking the other competitors by only 0.2 of a point on the last shot of the final.

“I saw in my sighters that I had a pretty big group, so I thought ‘I’ve got to get this together.’ And I just prayed, and God brought it together,” she said after her winning shot, her face still red from her tears of joy.

Sarah Osborn was brought to tears after she became the first-ever individual champion of the CMP National precision match.

The high visitor award was given to Sybrand Laurens,16, from South Africa, with a score of 586-39x.

Taunton Marksmanship Unit from Massachusetts took the third place overall team spot with their aggregate score of 2321-140x. Team members are MacKenzie Martin, Sonya May, Brendan Whitaker, Beck Gerritsen and coach Kevin Winter. The team received the third place trophy and a $1,500 check from CMP. Coming in second was the Oil City Junior Rifle Team from Pennsylvania with a score of 2329-145x. Contributing to the team’s overall score was Jack Anderson, Molly Hensley, Ashley Ahrens and Logan Fink. The team is coached by Gregory Hensley. CMP also awarded Oil City with a check for $2,500, while Midway USA provided $3,500 for the team’s endowment fund.

Frazier Simplex Center Shots overtook the first place position in the overall precision team competition.

Overall team competition was led by Frazier Simplex Center Shots, who took home the first place trophy, a check for $4,000 from CMP and a $5,000 endowment from Midway. Securing the team’s first place spot with their aggregate score of 2339-162x was Ariana Grabowski, Nicolle Thiry, Morgan Duerr and Nicholle Benedict. Frazier Simplex is coached by Thomas Benedict.

Overall team competition was led by Frazier Simplex Center Shots, who took home the first place trophy, a check for $4,000 from CMP and a $5,000 endowment from Midway. Securing the team’s first place spot with their aggregate score of 2339-162x was Ariana Grabowski, Nicolle Thiry, Morgan Duerr and Nicholle Benedict. Frazier Simplex is coached by Thomas Benedict.

With overwhelming participation at the first-ever CMP National 3P Air Rifle Championships, CMP and their partners at Midway USA have given talented junior shooters another place to shine. Coaches and shooters should anticipate even more gifted competitors and opportunities for success at next year’s competition.

Full results for the 2013 National 3-Position Air Rifle Championships can be found by logging on to http://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=10175.

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