Hillsdale College Student Earns Second Team All-Star Honors at Intercollegiate Club Rifle National Championship
Team takes sixth place in largest collegiate shotgun competition to date
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Four members of the Hillsdale rifle team represented the College in team and individual events at the Intercollegiate Club Rifle National Championship in Fort Wayne on April 3. Senior team captain Mary-Kate Brox took 5th place overall with an individual score of 579, earning her Second Team All-Star honors in airgun. This award is the club-level analog of All-American honors and recognizes the top performers in each discipline throughout the academic year.
“I am extremely proud of Mary-Kate and of all of our shooters,” said coach Andrew Traciak.
The match was hosted by the American Smallbore Shooters Association and the X-Count range in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Thirteen teams competed alongside Hillsdale, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and Purdue University. There were 73 total individual competitors.
Hillsdale’s team set a new team record with a 2,206, breaking its previous record by 9 points and earning the team 7th place in the competition.
This year marks the first time in school history that Hillsdale College is fielding a full intercollegiate rifle team. The program is part of the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference, and the team competes in numerous competitions during the academic year, including Intercollegiate Sectionals, Intercollegiate Club Championships, invitational collegiate matches, and USA Shooting events, such as Junior Olympics.
“The goal of the club is to teach participants firearm safety and the fundamental and advanced marksmanship skills required for intercollegiate and international-style competition, and to encourage as many individuals as possible to participate in shooting sports,” said Traciak. “As we work hard to develop the future leaders of our country, the appreciation for firearms and sport shooting that students gain as part of the rifle team has a direct, positive influence for future gun rights.”
Hillsdale College’s rifle and pistol clubs and club teams train at the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center in Hillsdale, Michigan. The Halter Center is the Home of the USA Shooting National Team and the center of Hillsdale College’s expansive shooting sports programs. Learn more at shootingsports.hillsdale.edu.
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