Charger action shooting secured three first place finishes and swept the podium in two divisions as it hosted a United States Practice Shooting Association match April 5. 

In the Production Division, the Chargers secured the top three places, with junior Jonah Kirstein placing first, senior Alexander Vietor placing second, and sophomore Luke Sempsrott placing third. 

In the Limited Division, the Chargers also won the top three spots, with senior team captain Taylor Chen placing first, sophomore Clara Bozzay second and sophomore Kayla Mullin third. 

Chen said he is always motivated to perform to the best of his ability, but in this match specifically he was motivated because it was his last home match of his career.

“The chances that I will step foot again on the range that defined my college career are low, and that realization struck me during the match,” Chen said. “I knew that to make my last home match the most memorable, I had to put down a performance that was worthy of remembering.”

In the Carry Optics Division, junior John Beecher placed second, and in the Limited Optics Division, junior Joseph Grohs placed fourth. 

Bozzay said Grohs’ performance was notable because the Limited Optics Division is super competitive.

“It’s competitive because a lot of people are in it, it’s a little more difficult to get into and it’s expensive,” Bozzay said. “Grohs is the only one who shoots in it.”

Grohs said he was drawn to Limited Optics specifically for the challenge it offered and wanted to be pushed more to improve his shooting speed between targets.

“Going into a more competitive division means stepping up your game and having less room for error,” Grohs said. “This is just a great way to push yourself forward as a shooter.”

Bozzay gained Hillsdale its third first-place finish by landing at the top of the podium in the women’s overall category, with Mullin placing third and sophomore Jianna Coppola placing fourth. Beecher took sixth among all competitors.

The Chargers are hitting the road this week to compete in the Blue Bullets Alabama State USPSA Championships April 10-12.

Chen said he hopes to finish well in the meet and has been working on consistency and quick transitions.

“Shooting well in practice is one thing, but applying it under the pressure of competition requires focus,” Chen said. “Alabama has quite a competitive field of Limited shooters, but I hope to podium.”