Admittedly it feels a little unfair that Dania Vizzi and Dustan Taylor led the competition after every day of qualifying, and both qualified for the gold medal finals with the top score but still go home without golds. But the rules of the competition are such that after 266 targets are used to determine the final two, it all comes down to one last round of 16 for the national title. Phillip Jungman and Sydney Carson were the spoilers as both posted perfect gold medal rounds to grab the national titles. How they got there is interesting for sure. Jungman was part of a three man group six behind the top two going into the final day. Hungman did his part with a perfect 50 and Taylor and Zachary McBee let the pack catch up with a 46 and a 45 respectively. Jungman still trailed McBee by a point for the final spot in the gold medal match but after a 15 in the final and a 13 from McBee it became Jungman and not McBee who would challenge Taylor. Once into the final Jungman seized the moment and his perfect 16 delivered an unlikely national title with a 16-14 win. McBee ended up in the bronze medal match but lost it to finish fourth. Hayden Stewart had entered the day in third but finished seventh after losing a shoot-off for a spot in the final.

On the women’s side there was a little less drama as Carson has been second going into the final day but Samantha Simonton drew even with her going into the final. Carson posted a 15, Simonton a 12, to ensure Carson would be the one challenging Vizzi in the final. Once there, just like Jungman, Carson left no down who would win the national title clearly defeating Vizzi 16-12. Simonton’s 12 in the final dropped her into a tie for fourth which she lost in a shoot-off so it was defending champion Caitlin Connor faced off with defending silver medalist Amber English in the bronze medal match. Both posted 13 scores so it went to a shoot-off which Connor won 2-1, defeating English in a final match for the second straight year.

With the national championships over in shotgun as well as rifle and pistol the attention is fully on Rio where the shotgun athletes will compete from August 7th through the 13th.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Monday Update
Tuesday Update
Wednesday Update
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Saturday Update
Sunday Update
Monday Update

For the third straight day the defending bronze medalists in the men’s and women’s skeet events continue to sit in position to capture the national title this year. In women’s skeet Dania Vizzi shot another perfect round and a 72 for the day as she added to her lead, now five over Sydney Carson. Samantha Simonton is now alone in third after she pulled one point in front of defending silver medalist Amber English. Defending champion Caitlin Connor is still in contention just two points behind English.

In men’s skeet Dustan Taylor continues to lead but a 72 opened the door and Zachary McBee had two perfect rounds to pull even with him. Third place belongs to Hayden Stewart who shot a 74 with two perfect rounds to move within four of the leaders having entered the day in seventh. It’s a big mess after that with seven more within a two shot range competing for spots in the final including yesterday’s third place group of Phillip Jungman and Mark Staffen at 190, Taz Gloria at 189, and Aaron Wilson at 188.

The skeet competitions will have two rounds on Tuesday before the final.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Monday Update
Tuesday Update
Wednesday Update
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Saturday Update
Sunday Update

Jeffrey Holguin was dominant again on the second day of the double trap competition to take home the national championship. Everyone was a bit lower in the second half of qualifying but he held a four point lead going into the final where he really showed off. A perfect 30 put him into the final against defending national champion Derek Haldeman and another perfect 30 there gave him the national title by one point over Haldeman. 2016 Olympian Glenn Eller was third going into the final and defeated Jesse Haynes-Lewis in the bronze medal final 29-25. Last year’s bronze medalist, Dale Royer, wound up seventh.

In the battle of last year’s three medalists in women’s skeet the defending bronze medalist, Dania Vizzi, continues to lead after a strong 48 on the second day. Her margin is now three points over Sydney Carson, who posted a day best 49, while defending champion Caitlin Connor fell off the pace a bit with a 44 and is six back in a tie for fifth. Defending silver medalist Amber English is tied for third with Samantha Simonton and five behind Vizzi. Katharina Jacob had been third but a 45 has her tied with Connor.

In men’s skeet last year’s bronze medalist Dustan Taylor also continues to lead after a perfect day gave him a 124 out a possible 125 to start things. Zachary McBee was two back going in and maintained that gap after a perfect day of his own. Colton Evans, Hayden Stewart, and Edwin Halliday III all were one back after the first day but shot 45’s and are tied for seventh, six back. Taz Gloria, Phillip Jungman, Mark Staffen, and Aaron Wilson are tied for third five behind the leader.

The skeet competitions will have three rounds on Monday, and two on Tuesday before a final on Tuesday as well.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Monday Update
Tuesday Update
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Saturday Update

In a field featuring all three of last year’s medalists, including a 2016 Olympian, it was Jeffrey Holguin that made most noise on the first day of the double trap national championship. Holguin was perfect in one round and nearly perfect in the other four posting a first day 146 to take a five point lead. Defending national champion Derek Haldeman is in second after a 141 while Jesse Haynes-Lewis is third after a 139 including a perfect round. 2016 Olympian Glenn Eller was a bit of with an opening 138 despite starting with a perfect round and is in fourth. Last year’s bronze medalist, Dale Royer, shot a 132 and is tied for seventh.

In a battle of last year’s three medalists in women’s skeet it’s the bronze medalist, Dania Vizzi, who leads after the first day where she posted a 74 that included a pair of perfect rounds. Her lead is two points over defending champion Caitlin Connor. The silver medalist from last year, Amber English, is tied for fourth after a 70 to start things off. Katharina Jacob is in third with a 71.

In men’s skeet last year’s bronze medalist Dustan Taylor took the day one lead with a 74. Colton Evans, Hayden Stewart, and Edwin Halliday III are right behind him with 73’s. All had perfect rounds, but Taylor had two to take the lead.

The men’s double trap event ends Sunday with five more rounds and a final. The skeet competitions will have two rounds on Sunday, three on Monday, and two on Tuesday before a final on Tuesday as well.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Thursday Update

Ashley Carroll successfully defending her trap title in dramatic fashion facing off against last year’s runner-up, Kayle Browning-Thomas, in a gold medal final that required a shoot-off. Carroll emerged a 5-4 victor to end up winning a competition she held a piece of the lead in after every step. Carroll posted a round best 48 on Thursday to take a two point lead to the final over Browning-Thomas with no one else within 11 of them. The format, a 15-shot final score being added to your four day total, meant that they were all but guaranteed a spot in the gold medal match where they produced the nerve-wracking shoot-off. Third place came down to Emma Williams and Kimberley Bowers with Williams posting the only perfect 15 of the finals to win bronze. Defending bronze medalist Janessa Beaman wound up seventh and missed out on a spot in the finals by two points.

On the men’s side there was some interesting drama as Myles Walker, tied for third going into the final, emerged as the victor. Walker shot a 48 in the qualifying rounds on Thursday to pull within two of the leaders and then a 12 in the final was enough to get him into a shoot-off for the final after Austin Odom scored just nine. Walker won the shoot-off again Shane Herman (who had been in seventh coming into the day) to advance to the gold medal match against Collin Wietfeldt, who he had begun the day tied with. Walker gave Wietfeldt no margin in the final notching a perfect 15 for the two point win. Herman would also win his final as he defeated Odom in a shoot-off 4-3 after a 14-14 tie for bronze. Michael Flores entered the day tied for the lead but a 45 in the qualifying rounds left him four behind the leaders and a nine in the final left him without a shot at the medals. Sevin Layer also had a share of the lead going into the final day but a 43 knocked him out of the top group and he finished tied for ninth.

Competition resumes Saturday with the men’s and women’s skeet competitions as well as the men’s double trap event. The skeet competitions will be three rounds Saturday, two on Sunday, three on Monday, and two on Tuesday before a final on Tuesday as well. The double trap competition is five rounds both Saturday and Sunday with a final on Sunday. Defending double trap national champion Derek Haldeman will be competing as will last year’s third place finisher, Dale Royer. Oh and Glenn Eller, defending silver medalist and 2016 Olympian. In men’s skeet last year’s bronze medalist Dustan Taylor is competing. All three of the medalists from last year’s women’s skeet, Caitlin Connor, Amber English, and Dania Vizzi, will be back this year.   

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Defending champion Ashley Carroll continues to lead the trap competition and her competition for first just got a lot easier. Carroll posted a third day 70, including one perfect round, to maintain a one point lead. 2016 Olympian Corey Cogdell did not start the third day, eliminating what was Carroll’s closest competitor. Last year’s runner-up, Kayle Browning-Thomas, is not going to let Carroll run away with this one though as she posted a 71, best score of the day, to pull within a single point. It appears to be a race between these two as Kimberley Bowers in third is now eight points back after a 65. Defending bronze medalist Janessa Beaman also had a 65 and is in a tie for tenth, six points behind bronze.

On the men’s side last year’s runner-up, Dustin McGowen, faltered badly with a 66, including an 18 to start the day, and is now in a tie for 12th and six points behind the three sharing the lead. Austin Odom and Michael Flores, had been tied for second after both of the first days but they now share the lead with Sevin Layer after day three. All of them shot a 71 on Wednesday with a perfect round for each of them including two for Odom. Christopher Haire shot a 66 to drop from a tie for second to 11th while Shane Herman shot a 70 and is only two points behind the leaders in seventh. Myles Walker, Idan Dupree, and Colling Wietfeldt all are sitting in second, one behind the leaders.

In both events there will be two more rounds on Thursday before a final to end the competition.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Monday Update
Tuesday Update

Defending champion Ashley Carroll continues to lead the trap competition at the halfway mark after posting a second day 49 to take a one point lead over 2016 Olympian Corey Cogdell. Both had a perfect score in one of the rounds but Carroll had the better other round to pull ahead. Last year’s runner-up, Kayle Browning-Thomas, pulled within two points of Carroll after posting the day’s only perfect 50. Kimberley Bowers was a bit off with a 46 and slipped to fourth, two points behind Browning-Thomas. Defending bronze medalist Janessa Beaman finished her day with a final round 19 that placed her in a tie for ninth, six behind Bowers.

On the men’s side last year’s runner-up, Dustin McGowen, used a second round 25 to move into first with a total of 121. Austin Odom and Michael Flores, both of whom were tied with McGowen on day one, sit one point back at 120 along with Christopher Haire and Sevin Layer. Shane Herman lost his lead with a 46 and is now in third at 119. Mick Wertz plummeted from a tie for second to a tie for 25th after a 42, including a second round 19, and is six points behind second. Last year’s third place finisher, Alex Rennert, shot a 46 and is also in that tie for 25th.

In both events there will be three rounds of shooting on Wednesday and two more on Thursday before a final to end the competition on Thursday.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
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Monday Update

The best battle of the early days of the shotgun national championships will be in the women’s trap event where 2016 Olympian Corey Cogdell is facing all three of the medalists from last year. After day one Cogdell finds herself tied with Ashley Carroll after both posted first day 72s, including a perfect round by each. They aren’t leading by much though as Kimberley Bowers is in third with a 71. Last year’s runner-up, Kayle Browning-Thomas, is fifth after a 69 while the defending bronze medalist, Janessa Beaman, is in a tie for sixth after a 68. Beaman opened with a 25 but a 19 in her second round could be very damaging.

On the men’s side Shane Herman holds the lead alone after opening with a 73. Four men are tied for second including last year’s runner-up, Dustin McGowen. The others in second are Austin Odom, Michael Flores, and Mick Wertz. Last year’s third place finisher, Alex Rennert, shot a 68 and is in a tie for 32nd.

In both events there will be two rounds of shooting on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, and two more on Thursday before a final to end the competition on Thursday.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting Shotgun National Championships Coverage:
Preview

Many of the best shotgun shooters in the US will make their way to Ft. Carson, Colorado on Monday for the Shotgun National Championships. Competition begins Monday in the trap events for both men and women and will continue through Thursday. The overall competition in Ft. Carson will continue through next Tuesday.

In the women’s trap event 2016 Olympian Corey Cogdell will take part as will the top three from last year, Ashley Carroll, Kayle Browning-Thomas, and Janessa Beaman. On the men’s side the runner-up, Dustin McGowen, and third place finisher, Alex Rennert, from last year will be back to try and win the title this year.

In both events there will be three rounds of shooting on Monday, two on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, and two more on Thursday before a final to end the competition on Thursday.

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Pistol/Rifle Recap

It was comebacks galore at the USA Shooting National Championships on the final day of the competition as both Sandra Uptagrafft and Jason Turner used strong second days of qualifying to take the lead and held on their finals to grab national titles after finishing in the top three last year.

In the women’s 25m sport pistol event Uptagrafft moved up from third by shooting a competition best 575 and took a one point lead over day one leader Brenda Silva into the final. Silva would finish last in the final and Uptagrafft would go on to win the final to claim the national title while Silva was third. 2016 Olympian and defending champion Enkelejda Shehaj  finished second after coming in third in the final. Sarah Choe had been second after the first day but a 549 in the second day of qualifying ended her medal hopes and she finished sixth, even with a runner-up finish in the final. Irina Andrianova was fifth after being in a tie with Uptagrafft on day one.

In the men’s 50m free pistol event Turner actually shot one less than his opening day 554 but because Greg Markowski was so far off his opening day 561 when he shot a 543 he went into the final with a three point lead. Markowski would win the final but Turner finished third to grab the gold by one point. James Hall stayed in third all day while defending champion Nick Mowrer, who had been tied for third, finished fourth.

For the rifle and pistol athletes the next major event will be the Olympics where competition takes place August 6th-14th. The shotgun version of the USA Shooting National Championships will take place in Ft. Carson, Colorado from July 10th-19th.

Previous 2016 USA Shooting National Championships Coverage:
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Thursday Update
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