The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF), a 501(c)(3) public charity responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) and Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP), is proud to announce the athletes of the 2021 SSSF College All-American Pistol Team. With the recent selection of the SASP as the national governing body by college coaches, the SSSF is proud to continue the All-American Team and has established its first College All-American Pistol Team. These high-performing athletes are honored as All-Americans, meeting stringent score cut-offs.

International Air Pistol
1st Team

Katelyn Abeln, Sophomore, The Ohio State University

Sara Choe, Freshman, United States Coast Guard Academy

Matthew Donze, Junior, United States Military Academy

Samuel Gens, Senior, The Ohio State University

Henry Leverett, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Jackson Leverett, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Maria Tsarik, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Benjamin Waalkes, Junior, United States Coast Guard Academy

2nd Team

Luke Braun, Sophomore, United States Military Academy

Georgia Eddy, Senior, Texas A&M University

Carrie Haltiwanger, Junior, Presbyterian College

Crystal Kim, Freshman, United States Coast Guard Academy

Con Marrinan, Senior, The Ohio State University

Bernard Melus, Senior, The Ohio State University

Jay Palacios, Texas A&M University

Jared Zollner, Junior, North Dakota State University

Honorable Mention

Amanda Ackerman, Sophomore, The Ohio State University

Benjamin Bryant, Graduate, Texas A&M University

James Burroughes, Sophomore, United States Military Academy

Esther Choe, Senior, United States Coast Guard Academy

Pierce Garver, Sophomore, United States Military Academy

Alexa Hannahs, Junior, North Dakota State University

Steven Jones, Junior, The Citadel

Grace Seong, Sophomore, United States Military Academy

Kaitlin Slaubaugh, Sophomore, North Dakota State University

Standard Pistol
1st Team

Katelyn Abeln, Sophomore, The Ohio State University

Sarah Choe, Freshman, United States Coast Guard Academy

Henry Leverett, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Jackson Leverett, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Benjamin Waalkes, Junior, United States Coast Guard Academy

2nd Team

Samuel Gens, Senior, The Ohio State University

Cade Haiby, Junior, The Ohio State University

Steven Jones, Junior, The Citadel

Bernard Melus, Senior, The Ohio State University

Jared Zollner, Junior, North Dakota State University

Honorable Mention

Jay Palacios, Texas A&M University

International Sport Pistol
1st Team

Katelyn Abeln, Sophomore, The Ohio State University

Sarah Choe, Freshman, United States Coast Guard Academy

Matthew Donze, Junior, United States Military Academy

Henry Leverett, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Jackson Leverett, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Bernard Melus, Senior, The Ohio State University

Maria Tsarik, Freshman, The Ohio State University

Benjamin Waalkes, Junior, United States Coast Guard Academy

2nd Team

Amanda Ackerman, Sophomore, The Ohio State University

Luke Braun, Sophomore, United States Military Academy

James Burroughes, Sophomore, United States Military Academy

Esther Choe, Senior, United States Coast Guard Academy

Cade Haiby, Junior, The Ohio State University

Chia-Chi Hu, Junior, United States Military Academy

Jay Palacios, Texas A&M University

Jared Zollner, Junior, North Dakota State University

Honorable Mention

Isabella Firenzi, Junior, United States Coast Guard Academy

Steven Jones, Junior, The Citadel

Crystal Kim, Freshman, United States Coast Guard Academy

Soraya Nevin, Sophomore, North Dakota State University

2021 All-American Score Cut-offs:
International Air Pistol
1st Team

Men: 569.00 – 554.13

Women: 559.14 – 546.00

2nd Team

Men: 552.60 – 545.50

Women: 537.82 – 528.40

Honorable Mention

Men: 542.88 – 538.88

Women: 524.75 – 520.00

International Sport Pistol
1st Team

Men: 567.50 – 559.88

Women: 568.50 – 552.67

2nd Team

Men: 558.14 – 553.75

Women: 540.67 – 526.71

Honorable Mention

Men: 549.11

Women: 524.67 – 523.50

Standard Pistol
1st Team

562.67 – 545.83

2nd Team

540.33 – 532.00

Honorable Mention

530.00

Taurus USA has continued its Platinum Sponsorship of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) through the Taurus and Rossi brands, raising its total support of the youth shooting sports program for 2021.

“Participants and enthusiasts from all corners of the recreational firearm culture understand the personal value and lifelong edification that structured and mentored shooting sports can bring to America’s youth,” said Bret Vorhees, Taurus CEO. “The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation has made a positive, indelible mark not only in the lives of the many youth who have participated in the SSSF’s development programs but also on our industry. All of us at Taurus (and Rossi) are thankful for the opportunity to continue our support for this important mission and the Scholastic Action Shooting program, which enjoyed record participation last year and promises to positively shape the lives of even more youth in 2021.”

“Taurus has increased its total support for our program, and for that, we are incredibly thankful,” stated Rick Leach, SASP National Director. “When we see great firearms industry brands like Taurus renew and increase their sponsorship, it’s like a big green light for our staff to keep pushing forward. Through our consistent growth, we have accomplished some huge milestones, such as our National Championship becoming the largest action shooting event in the world. With the continued support from the Taurus and Rossi brands, we will continue to keep raising the bar for youth shooting sports.”

The Scholastic Action Shooting Program returned to the CMP Marksmanship Park grounds on March 12-14th to hold its Collegiate National Championship. Over three days, college action shooting teams ran squads of athletes through the four-stage competition, with hopes of returning home with the coveted Tammy L. Mowry Rifle Cup and Daniel C. Hodne Pistol cup traveling trophies.

Through the course of the match, college athletes at the CMP Marksmanship Park collectively fired well over 21,000 rounds. Balancing speed and accuracy, each athlete’s goal is to complete the SASP standardized stages of steel plate arrays, with a designated stop plate to record their time. With five “strings of fire”, the athlete’s slowest attempt is tossed out and their fastest four strings of fire are added together to determine a total stage time. With squads of four athletes, these total stage times are complied to determine an aggregate time to determine who will be returning home as SASP Collegiate National Champions.

Despite a challenging year for travel and ammo for shooting sports athletes, teams made adjustments to train for and compete at the 2021 SASP Collegiate National Championship. Returning to the match as the 2020 Rifle Cup Champion, Liberty University was eager to repeat their performance and prove that their SASP Nationals debut was not a fluke. With nine squads of athletes, Liberty came ready to claim gold in as many disciplines as they could, but one clear goal was established not long after returning from last year’s National Championship: in 2021, come back to Virginia with both trophies.

Other collegiate teams from the state of Virginia came to win, with Virginia Tech squads claiming 1st and 2nd place in the Rimfire Pistol Iron Sight discipline, 2nd place in Rimfire Pistol Optic Sight, 3rd place in both Rimfire Rifle disciplines, and 1st place in the Centerfire Pistol Optic discipline. Virginia Tech’s roster grew considerably from last year’s single squad of four athletes to nearly a dozen, who showed impressive performances at their debut SASP National Championship. 

Each year the traveling Daniel Hodne Pistol Cup honors the top collegiate team in the Centerfire Pistol discipline. For five consecutive years, Texas A&M’s Corps Of Cadets Marksmanship Unit has held possession of the trophy and was hopeful to keep the trophy for the sixth year in a row. The pressure was high and Liberty University was keen to defend their traveling trophy and acquire another.

With two competitive squads defending their title, the Tammy Mowry Rifle Cup remained at home in Virginia with Liberty University’s clear victory in the Rimfire Rifle Iron Sight discipline.  After a close race throughout Saturday’s match schedule, Liberty University’s consistency in the Centerfire discipline gave them 3.45-second lead ahead of Texas A&M, becoming the first college action shooting team in SASP history to hold both championship trophies at the same time. 

Texas A&M did return home with hardware, claiming the National Championship title in the 1911 discipline, followed by Wisconsin’s Concordia University for silver. Ian Walton, a Wisconsin athlete from the Ozaukee Pistol Team, shot a total time of 40.03 and was awarded the High Overall Champion of the Rimfire Pistol Optic discipline. Ian was also recognized for third place high overall honors in the Rimfire Rifle Iron Sight discipline. Liberty University returned with additional honors, including Kathryn Allen, Cami Barshinger, and Connelly Weems sweeping High Overall Ladies titles in all rifle disciplines and the Rimfire Pistol discipline. 

With SASP’s recent addition of 10 Meter Air Rifle, 10 Meter Air Pistol and Sport Pistol disciplines, teams at the 2021 Collegiate National Championship had the opportunity to experience 10M Air Pistol with a popup three-lane air range. Recognizing that SASP is the Official Youth Feeder Program for USA Shooting, teams traditionally focused on action shooting have begun to expand their program to the international disciplines. Following their experience at National’s popup range, Liberty University is discussing creating an international air pistol team.

The SASP Collegiate National Championship will return to the CMP Marksmanship Park in 2022, planning for a three-day event over the weekend of March 11-13th, where Liberty University will defend this season’s two-trophy performance.

The Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) is excited to announce the winners of the 2021 Intercollegiate International Pistol National Championships. At the request of the coaches in the program, SASP this year became the National Governing Body for the Collegiate Pistol Nationals.  The running of this event was a portion of SASP adding Olympic shooting disciplines to their already growing Action Shooting Program. 

Athletes from grade school through college, can compete in the Olympic Disciplines of 10M Air Pistol, 10 Air Rifle in both Sporter and Precision, and Sport Pistol. 

Congratulations to all the participating athletes and colleges on a great finish to the season.  A special congratulation to Ohio State University on winning both the Open and Women’s Aggregate Championships with some great shooting.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Primary Arms has renewed its silver-level sponsorship for the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) National Championships. This program provides youth with an exciting competitive environment that fosters the values of sportsmanship and firearms safety.

The Scholastic Action Shooting Program is open to students from elementary school through college with coaching slots available to associated volunteers. Through SASP, young competitors team up to learn the foundations of marksmanship in a healthy, improvement-centric environment. Teams can participate in a variety of divisions, which include rimfire rifles/pistols, centerfire pistols, and pistol-caliber carbines (PCCs) as well as 10-meter air rifle and 10-meter air pistol.

The 2021 SASP National Championship will be held on July 10th through the 17th at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. After supporting the SASP National Championship in 2020, Primary Arms proudly announced that it will remain a silver-level sponsor for their 2021 National Championship, providing both equipment and financial to support the competing teams and staff.

In response to the announcement, Scholastic Action Shooting Program’s National Director Rick Leach stated “We are excited to have Primary Arms Optics returning as a Silver Level sponsor of our youth development program. They produce some great products that help our athletes compete at a high level. If not for the support of great companies like Primary Arms Optics, we would not be able to continue to grow youth shooting sports in our nation.”

For the latest news on Primary Arms Optics, follow Primary Arms on social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

About Primary Arms Optics
Founded in 2007, Primary Arms Optics® is a leading innovator in tactical optics, offering a comprehensive selection of rifle scopes, prism scopes, red dot sights, optic mounts, and accessories. Primary Arms’ exclusive ACSS reticles combine bullet drop compensation, range estimation, wind holds, and moving target leads into one cohesive, easy-to-use system. While traditional reticles rely on complex mathematics and subtensions, ACSS reticles feed the most important information directly to the marksman, allowing them to take faster shots with greater precision. Primary Arms Optics produces several tiers of products to meet the needs of any budget. The premier PLx® optics line prioritizes clarity and craftsmanship with first-class materials. The mid-tier GLx optics incorporate premium technologies with approachable pricing, while the popular SLx® optics offer both proven reliability and value. Every Primary Arms Optics product is hand-inspected at their Houston-based headquarters, and all their products come with a Primary Arms lifetime warranty.

For more information on Primary Arms, visit the company website at www.primaryarms.com or contact:

Dina Sanders, Brand Marketing Manager
dsanders@primaryarms.com

TANDEMKROSS, manufacturer of aftermarket parts upgrades for the action shooting sports competitor, has committed to increasing its support of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) to the Platinum Sponsor level. 

“TANDEMKROSS is proud to sponsor the 2021 SASP shooting season,” said Bryan Haaker, TANDEMKROSS Business Development Director. “We firmly believe that it is an incredibly effective program to educate young people on their 2nd Amendment rights, how to responsibly handle firearms and bring the shooting sports back into the schools where they belong; right beside basketball and football. There is no better gun control program than education.”

“TANDEMKROSS has been an incredible sponsor and ally since they came on board as a Bronze Sponsor back in 2018,” said Rick Leach, SASP National Director. “TANDEMKROSS is forward-thinking and really focuses a lot of their efforts on supporting junior shooters, who are the future of action shooting sports. TANDEMKROSS has been incredibly supportive in our mission and always goes above and beyond to help throughout the season. We are very humbled and thankful that TANDEMKROSS has renewed and increased their sponsorship of our program!”

Long-time Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) sponsors, Federal and CCI Ammunition have renewed their support of youth shooting sports as Platinum-Level Sponsors. 

“Federal and CCI Ammunition are proud to continue our partnership with the Scholastic Action Steel Program. The program continues to grow leaps and bounds while offering youth a safe and high-quality competitive program. The desire and passion these kids put into the sport deserves the best performing and highest quality ammunition available. Our employees are proud to provide high-quality American-made ammunition for the SASP participants to reach their goals.” Dan Compton, Rimfire Product Line Manager for Federal and CCI Ammunition.

Rick Leach, SASP National Director, commented, “Having Platinum-Level Sponsors like Federal and CCI Ammunition continue their long-standing support is a reminder of the importance our industry places on supporting youth development through shooting sports. We look forward to having their vital support this year and many more.”
 

For more information on Federal ammunition, go to www.federalpremium.com of CCI ammunition, go to www.cci-ammunition.com