USASNC first results

[USAS]

2004 PISTOL, RIFLE and RUNNING TARGET
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

FORT BENNING, Ga. – USA Shooting named the first National Champions of 2004 Friday at the Fort Benning Pool Ranges. Women’s air pistol and men’s free pistol were the first two events contested.
On the women’s side, Sandra Uptagrafft, of the U.S. Navy Reserve, walked away the champion. Uptagrafft finished with a total score of 826.5 -- a vast improvement from last year’s placing of eighth. Uptagrafft (Longmont, Colo.) was the 2003 National Champion in women’s sport, and has routinely been stronger in the 25m event. But, in the absence of Libby Callahan and Rebecca Snyder, who are at the Milan World Cup, Uptagrafft stepped it up and was able to run away with the 10m air competition after a bit of a rocky start.
Michigan native, Teresa Meyer, a junior Class A shooter who starts at Ohio State in the fall, clinched second place with an overall score of 824.8. Meyer came through in the final, hitting a 96.8 to just squeeze ahead of her elder competitors. Nora Stoyanova grabbed third place after a two-shot shoot-off against Jessica Marshall ended in her favor. Stoyanova (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) led the competition throughout both days, but couldn’t put it together in the finals, shooting a 90.5—the lowest score in the event.
In the Men’s Free Pistol event, Sgt. John Ennis, of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, had a huge second-day performance. Ennis scored a 555, grabbing a large enough lead to walk away with the win. Ennis began today four points behind the leader, John Zurek, but finished 18 points ahead, and won with a total score of 1,187.9. Zurek, of Phoenix, Ariz., took second. After shooting a disappointing 527 today, Zurek came back and shot a 93.3 final, which put him just out of Staff Sgt. Adam Holloway’s reach. Both Ennis and Holloway live in Columbus, Ga. and train full time at the Fort Benning Ranges.
Last year’s free pistol National Champion, Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski, of Seale, Ala., is also overseas at the Milan World Cup. In fact, the entire 2004 Olympic Pistol Team is over there, preparing for the summer ahead. Szarenski qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games last month by winning a spot on the team in men’s air. But, he also plans on shooting men’s free pistol in Athens this summer.

For full results of the 2004 U.S. National Championships, please log on to www.usashooting.org.







Newsline No. 1 ◄
Editor: Sara Greenlee

Thursday
AT THE RANGES
10m Range: Women’s Air Pistol Match
50m Range: Men’s Free Pistol Match

Today
AT THE RANGES
10m Range: Women’s Air Pistol Match, Finals and Awards
50m Range: Men’s Free Pistol Match, Finals and Awards

Saturday
AT THE RANGES
10m Range: Men’s Air Pistol Official Training
25m Range: Women’s Sport Pistol Training

Sunday
AT THE RANGES
10m Range: Men’s Air Pistol Match
25m Range: Women’s Sport Pistol Match

Monday
AT THE RANGES
10m Range: Men’s Air Pistol Match, Finals and Awards
25m Range: Women’s Sport Pistol Match, Finals and Awards

WOMEN’S AIR PISTOL
Final Standings
1. Sandra Uptagrafft, 826.5; 2. Teresa Meyer, 824.8; 3. Nora Stoyanova, 824.5 (9.2); 4. Jessica Marshall, 824.5 (8.8); 5. Mary Lou Garcia, 819.4; 6. Mandy Gengenbacher, 818.6; 7. Jennifer Tricket, 815.4; 8. Tes Salb, 811.0.

MEN’S FREE PISTOL
Final Standings
1. John Ennis, 1,187.9; 2. John Zurek, 1,169.3; 3. Adam Holloway, 1,165.0; 4. Rob Mango, 1,154.3; 5. Brian Beaman, 1,144.1; 6. Vlad Babiuc, 1,137.2; 7. Bruce Martindale, 1,130.8; 8. Dmitriy Shteyman, 1,125.9.