Members of NDSU’s Marksmanship Club had success at the National Rifle Association’s recent rifle and pistol championships.
The NDSU Women’s Air Pistol Team consisting of Alana Townsend, junior in agribusiness and applied economics, Kalispell, Montana; Macy Nelson, sophomore in emergency management, Arthur, North Dakota; and Caitlyn Fleahman, junior in pharmaceutical sciences from Bemidji, Minnesota, took the gold medal during the 2015 National Rifle Association National Intercollegiate Pistol Championships held March 22-25 in Ft. Benning, Georgia. Townsend also took the individual gold medal as an individual air pistol shooter and a silver medal and an individual shooter in the free pistol event.
Six shooters represented the club as part of the NDSU Standard Pistol Team made up of Nelson, Katie Martinez, junior in criminal justice, from Custer, South Dakota; Pryce Pinney, freshman in ag systems management from Johnstown, Nebraska; and Grant Johnson, a senior majoring in management.
The Open Pistol Team consisted of Townsend, Fleahman, Johnson and Pinney. Pinney also competed as an individual in the Sport Pistol event.
The NDSU Marksmanship Club members competing in the national championships were selected by qualifying in the Collegiate Sectional Matches in early February at the Red River Regional Marksmanship Center in West Fargo, North Dakota.
Townsend was named to the 2015 National All-American First All Star Team and Fleahman was named to the Second All Star Team. The pistol shooters are coached by Eric Pueppke of Amenia, North Dakota, and James Ladwig of Argusville, North Dakota.
NDSU also was represented at the 2015 National Rifle Association’s National Intercollegiate Rifle Championships held March 20-22 at Ft. Benning. The NDSU Smallbore Rifle Team was represented by Kyle Boster, junior in natural resources management from Halliday, North Dakota; Kellen Erickson, sophomore in business administration; Levi Joraanstad, sophomore in computer science from Rolla, North Dakota; and Robert Nelson II, senior in biological sciences from Andover, Minnesota.
The NDSU Air Rifle Team was represented by LaChrisha Meyer, junior in human development and family science; Samantha Holweger, senior in zoology from Long Prairie, Minnesota; Alex Heinle, junior in computer science; and Bryce Lynne, sophomore in ag education.
Logan Berg, sophomore in natural resources management also competed in the smallbore and air rifle competition as an individual shooter. All rifle shooters were selected by qualifying at the National Rifle Association Sectional Collegiate Matches in West Fargo in February. The rifle teams are coached by Mitchell Godbout, Casselton, North Dakota.
The NDSU Marksmanship Club is advised by Larry Cihacek, associate professor of soil science.
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