Three-Peat: Akron Zips Claim Third-Straight NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship

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posted on March 27, 2019
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There was an aura of confidence around the Akron Zips as the rifle club team headed into the 2019 NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship. This was a sign of things to come, because after this year's victory they are the first school to ever win this match three consecutive times.

Akron Zips rifle club team, 2019 NRA intercollegiate rifle club champion
The Zips club rifle team are joined by the AMU's Hank Gray at the awards ceremony.

Winning the team aggregate with a score of 4491, the Zips were only three points shy of their 2018 winning score. Akron was the top finisher in both air rifle with 2287 and smallbore with 2204.

The team shared the following via Facebook:

"The Zips concluded the 2019 NRA Intercollegiate Championships this weekend with first place in both events and winning the overall championship. We couldn’t do it without the support from friends and family. We would also like to thank our coaches April Engle, Mike Naylon, Joe Hendricks and Gabbie Pitre. [We] wouldn’t be able to do what we do without you."

Second place in the team aggregate was Grand Valley State University with a score of 4447, and in third was North Dakota State University also scoring 4447, the tie decided by the X-count.

Akron Zips club rifle team

Akron's top shooter was Lauren Kadooka, who finished second in the air rifle individual aggregate with 578. She had one near-perfect air rifle string scoring 99. Additionally, she finished in fourth place overall in the individual rifle aggregate.

Another strong Akron performance in air rifle came from Elizabeth Bark with a score of 575.

The Zips also featured strong shooting from Christina Holden, who along with Kadooka had a score of 554 in smallbore.

A full match report will be published in a future edition of the digital magazine.

More NRA intercollegiate championship coverage:

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