Michigan State University Shooting Sports Club challenged 116 individual competitors and top teams from 16 colleges spanning the United States at the Scholastic Action Shooting Program’s collegiate national championship in Talladega, Alabama on March 10.
Led by MSU senior and club captain Zachary Cooper, MSU shattered national records and finished with multiple wins.
Scholastic action shooting measures an athlete’s speed and accuracy with a semi-automatic pistol. Top rankings are indicated by having the shortest overall time, a sport where 45 seconds or less for an entire event is the goal of many of the most accomplished marksmen.
MSU freshman Samantha Engle earned the individual national title as the fastest woman, besting the former record by 14 seconds and finishing with a score of 48.82. Finishing in second place with a score of 53.01, MSU senior Danielle Rosebrook surpassed the previous record.
In the men’s category, top honors went to Zachary Cooper for his outstanding score and personal best of 44.50 seconds. He earned third place honors followed closely by MSU sophomore Kyle Evans with 46.38 and MSU junior Eric Nesbitt with 50.45.
Sharing the same Springfield Armory 1911 chambered in 9 mm, MSU junior Jessica Greenwald, teamed with Zachary Cooper, Danielle Rosebrook and Samantha Engle triumphed, setting a new team benchmark and winning the 2018 1911 Championship.
Another notable accomplishment was the team’s second place ranking in the National Rim Fire team championship, a distinction that Michigan State has earned three years running.
“We are very proud of our athletes. The team is cohesive and share common goals. They enjoy the training and are constantly improving. We are honored to serve as their coaches and look forward to next year’s championship,” said coaches Steven Slee and Gary Smith.