Collegiate Rifle: No. 9 Akron Defeats No. 7 Army

by
posted on November 18, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
akron-army-match-1.jpg

Special thanks to Newt Engle, head coach of the University of Akron rifle team for this collegiate rifle update. The Akron Zips triumphed over the U.S. Military Academy at West Point rifle team on Nov. 15 in Ohio.

With many matches earlier this season canceled due to COVID-19, Akron rifle coach Newt Engle and Army coach Webster Wright saw an opportunity to add one match on the schedule before the conclusion of the first half of the rifle season. A range familiar to both teams, the Palmyra Sportsmen’s Association agreed to host the Army–Akron face-off.

No. 7-ranked Army came to the match confident, but the undaunted No. 9-ranked Akron Zips lived up to the team motto of “All gas, no brakes” as they bested the Army team 4675 to 4663.

Akron senior Wyatt Openshaw and junior Andre Gross hovered near the top of the leaderboard, as they pounded the center of both smallbore and air rifle targets. Openshaw dazzled the coaches by tying the Akron team air rifle record at 595 out of 600 possible points. A truly Olympic-level performance.

As for Army, senior Kaitlyn Kutz had the top smallbore score with 583. Army's top air rifle shooter was junior Lauren McMahan with 592, good for third place in the invidivual standings.

More impressive performances came from two Akron freshmen, Samantha Shultz and Kayla Andreoli. Shultz established a new personal best air rifle score of 593, only 2 points behind Openshaw. Andreoli also set a new personal best of 590. Another freshman phenom, Gavin Perkowski assisted with a score of 589.

All of this tallied up to an Akron team score of 2365 in air rifle, only 2 points shy of the school record. In addition, we would be remiss not to mention sophomore Jakob Rankin and his new personal best mark of 575.

Akron's team score of 4675 is a season-high, and places the squad in a great place to start the second half of the season next January. Visit gozips.com/sports/rifle for the complete listing of Akron rifle stats and schedule. Learn more about the Army team here.

Leaderboard

  • Akron, 4675 (AR 2365, SB 2310)
  • Army, 4663 (AR 2347, SB 2316)

Read more: A Brief History Of Collegiate Shooting Sports In The United States

Latest

Mullers ARC July2025 1
Mullers ARC July2025 1

NRA Announces Dianna & Ryan Muller As Brand Ambassadors For America’s Rifle Challenge

NRA announces Dianna & Ryan Muller as brand ambassadors for America’s Rifle Challenge program, promoting AR-15 marksmanship, safety and training.

Eley’s New Trial Packs Let Competition Shooters Find Their Perfect Rimfire Match Ammo

Eley launches trial ammo packs to help shooters test and match precision .22 LR rounds to their firearms.

Ava Downs Captures Junior Olympic Trap Title On Home Turf

Hillsdale’s Ava Downs takes gold in women’s trap at the 2025 USA Shooting Junior Olympic Championships hosted at the Halter Center.

Brandon Powell Claims 8th Georgia State Sporting Clays Title

Brandon Powell wins his eighth Georgia State Sporting Clays Championship, continuing his dominance with multiple top finishes at the 2025 tournament.

Vincent Hancock Claims 30th ISSF Medal As Team USA Dominates 2025 Lonato World Cup

Team USA shines at 2025 ISSF Lonato World Cup with golds from Vincent Hancock and Sam Simonton, plus silver for Dania Vizzi.

Jon Shue Clinches Third Straight NRA National Precision Pistol Championship Title

Shue continues his dominant streak in bullseye pistol shooting after 2025 NRA National Precision Pistol Championship victory.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.