Hillsdale College Dominates USPSA Collegiate Championship

By Scott Wagner

The Hillsdale College Action Shooting Team continues to impress. First it won back-to-back national championships in the Scholastic Action Shooting Program in 2022 and 2023. Now the Hillsdale Chargers followed up with a fantastic performance at the inaugural United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Collegiate Championship.

Held at Hillsdale’s John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center in September, the team landed first place finishes in the Team Open Division and Team Limited Division, edging out competing teams from the United States Naval Academy, Clemson University and others. Likewise, many of the Hillsdale team members placed in individual categories including an impressive one-two finish in the Individual Female Limited Division.

It was an exciting weekend for all who competed and attended.

New Competition, New Location

Prior to the match held at the school’s new Ailes Action Shooting Range, I talked quite a bit with Head Coach Adam Burlew — the man who is building the team into a shooting powerhouse. I also had the chance to speak with Jared “Mac” McClain Driver who is the Halter Shooting Sports Center Membership and Site Coordinator, Shotgun Coach and Match Director for the National USPSA Competition.

I learned that for the 2024 competition season, it was decided to switch governing bodies for action pistol shooting sports in which the Hillsdale Team would compete. Instead of continuing with the Scholastic Action Pistol Shooting Program — which served Hillsdale well in launching their pistol shooting program — Burlew, Driver and the staff of the John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center on the Hillsdale Campus decided to compete under the banner of the USPSA. USPSA Michigan Section Coordinator Walt Paegal worked behind the scenes, making sure that the Hillsdale match ran smoothly.

The Hillsdale Team

The 2024 Hillsdale Collegiate Action Pistol Team Competitors were as follows: Taylor Chen (team captain), John Beecher, Clara Bozzay, Brendan Burnham, Jianna Coppola, Joseph Grohs, William Eli Hudson, Jonah Kirstein, Kayla Mullin, Luke Sempsrott and Alexander Vietor. Assisting Burlew was Michael “Doc” Sweeney as an assistant coach. This year’s team included four women.

John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center

The John A. Halter Shooting Sports Education Center is located on a 113-acre site just five miles from Hillsdale’s main campus. It has evolved over the last two years from a world-class Olympic Trap and Skeet range to a world-class multi-disciplinary shooting facility thanks to the leadership of the new range manager, Matt Little.

There is now on-site cabin lodging available for shooters, a major indoor/outdoor shooting range under construction and the brand-new Ailes Action Shooting Range, which has six pistol shooting bays and a 100-yard rifle range. The Ailes range area was officially dedicated the day after the National Match was over on Monday, September 30. More about that in a bit.

Besides the great new Halter Center management, there are three reasons Hillsdale can have a facility like this. First, they do not accept local, state or government funding. They thrive entirely from donations and tuition alone. Second, they also have the strong support of Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry P. Arnn. Third, Dr. Arnn trusts his staff to do a safe and professional job of running things. I can’t think of a single public college campus where a shooting facility like this — which also offers public memberships — could be built.

The Players

Springfield Armory was the primary sponsor of this event, having supplied the Hillsdale College team with competition 1911 semi-automatic pistols for the past two years. This year the company provided the Hillsdale College Action Shooting Team with Springfield Armory Echelon pistols. Additionally, the company provided 1911 DS Prodigy pistols for the several team members who preferred 1911-style pistols.

I was impressed with the teams and competitors that showed up for this inaugural match. In addition to the Hillsdale College team, the following teams participated in the 2024 National Match:

• United States Naval Academy,
• Michigan State University,
• Bowling Green State University — U.S. Air Force ROTC,
• Michigan Technological University,
• Pasadena City College,
• Gateway Technical College, and
• Clemson University.

There were a number of individual competitors who competed in the match as well. This was possible due to the unique set-up of the match. Instead of the relays being made up entirely of members from the same teams, the members were distributed among the relays with joining with members of other teams. Their individual scores were then tallied up and combined for team scores and individual shooter scores.

The beauty of this system was that the competitors — whether they were part of a team or attending as individuals — were able to work with members outside their of their team, sharing tips and techniques and encouraging each other. The result was that a special camaraderie developed among all the competitors. Sportsmanship at its finest was on constant display throughout the two-day event — something not often seen in other sporting endeavors.

The Whole Shootin’ Match

The match began with everyone facing the range flagpole for the Star Spangled Banner. That alone was a great experience. No signs of disrespect with this group.

All six pistol bays were used for the shooting competition, and the 100-yard rifle range — directly adjacent to the pistol bay area — served as a parking area, which was separated from the pistol area by a high earthen berm. The competition started on Saturday at 10am.

A wide range of pistols were used by the competitors. Most used some form of red dot optics on their pistols, while others shot with various open sights. Competitors spent a good amount of time discussing their rigs and giving each other tips throughout the two days of shooting.

The targets used were the classic IPSC/USPSA cardboard targets. The white side of the targets were used to define the “no shoot” area, while the plain cardboard side was the targeting side. Steel popper targets and pendulum swinging targets were added in on a number of the courses.

Shooting space areas were defined by treated lumber on the ground, and “walls” and shooting “ports” were marked with orange plastic construction fencing — which allowed spectators, coaches, competitors and RSO’s to have a complete view of the shooting area while the match was occurring.

The courses of fire were run with safety being the foremost consideration in the competition — there was a zero-tolerance policy for safety violations.

Competition Day One

When we arrived Saturday morning, it was overcast but dry. By the time the match began, a light drizzle had started, and we broke out our ponchos and rain gear. Intermittent rain lasted through early afternoon. Fortunately, each stage had awnings covering the picnic tables in the ready area to protect gear and shooters.

I watched all the shooters prepare for the stage by working on the movements they intended to make with “finger guns”, and “choreographing” their entire stage run before firing their first shot several times over before the stage began. Proper strategy paid off. The fastest speed I personally witnessed at the competition was run by Joseph Grohs of the Hillsdale College team. Using a Springfield Prodigy, he ran the stage in 6.9 seconds.

One of the competitors I kept my eye on was Olivia Montoya from Clemson University. This was her first competition. Her initial stage was a bit rocky, but she didn’t get discouraged. She kept right at it in the subsequent stages. By the time I saw her again later that afternoon, she improved immensely and earned Second Place for Individual Female Open Division by the end of the competition.

Competition Day Two

Day Two’s schedule was different, with the shooting starting at 8:00 am. The morning was just a little bit cloudy, but right around match time the skies began to clear, rain gear was discarded, and the rest of the day turned out to be beautiful.

The camaraderie and competitive spirit continued between the competitors throughout Sunday. Once again, everyone enjoyed the match. As the match progressed, prizes provided by the sponsors were handed out to the competitors.

At around 1 pm, everyone headed up for some lunch at the AcuSport Grill located in the Halter Center Lodge. Afterwards, it was time for the presentation of the awards. The awards were presented by Burlew, Driver, and Elizabeth Ailes — wife of the late Roger Ailes.

Mrs. Ailes donated the money needed to build the Ailes Action Shooting Range. In fact, her son Zachary had competed on the Hillsdale Action Pistol team when they won their first championships. Zachary received his undergraduate degree and was no longer eligible to compete with the team, but it was his prior participation in the sport that led to the construction of this fine outdoor range.

The Awards

The following awards were presented at the end of the competition:

Individual Male Limited Division 

• First Place: Cole Whittaker — Bowling Green State University 
• Second Place: Taylor Chen — Hillsdale College 
• Third Place: Alexander Vietor — Hillsdale College 

Individual Female Limited Division 

• First Place: Kayla Mullin — Hillsdale College 
• Second Place: Clara Bozzay — Hillsdale College 
• Third Place: Jianna Coppola — Hillsdale College 

Individual Male Open Division 

• First Place: Sebastian Alora — Pasadena City College
• Second Place: John Beecher — Hillsdale College 
• Third Place: Eli Hudson — Hillsdale College

Individual Female Open Division 

• First Place: Abby Jackley — Gateway Technical College 
• Second Place: Olivia Montoya — Clemson University
• Third Place: N/A

Team Limited Division 

• First Place: Hillsdale College — Taylor Chen, Alexander Vietor, Jonah Kirstein, Kayla Mullin 
• Second Place: United States Naval Academy — Luke Parker, Sam Reece, Jack Newcomb, Cole Petrusha 
• Third Place: N/A 

Team Open Division 

• First Place: Hillsdale College — John Beecher, Eli Hudson, Joseph Grohs, Brendan Burnham 
• Second Place: Michigan Technical University — Jaden Bayer, Trever McLeod
• Third Place: Clemson University — William Connelly, Olivia Montoya  

The recipients received medals and trophies depending on their ranking. At the end of the presentation, the teams headed back home except for the Hillsdale team, who would be attending the Ailes Action Shooting Range dedication on Monday.

Ailes Action Shooting Range      

The dedication of the new Ailes Action Shooting Range facility was held Monday afternoon. Donors from The President’s Club of Hillsdale College were in attendance along with members of the the Ailes family. The dedication was held on the range itself under a large canopy.

Dr. Larry P. Arnn was there for the keynote address. Elizabeth Ailes gave a stirring dedication and emotional tribute to her late husband. After the dedications, the Hillsdale Action Shooting Team gave a demonstration in Bay Six for the attendees.

Again, I believe there is no other college anywhere where an event like this would have taken place. A special thanks go to Elizabeth Ailes for ensuring this new shooting facility is available — hopefully for generations to come.

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