U.S. Army Soldiers show strength in Smallbore Olympic Trials - Part 1

Photo By Lt. Col. Michelle Lunato | U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lt. Sarah Beard, a shooter/instructor with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's International Rifle Team, competes in the Women's Three-Position Rifle Final on October 2 at the USA Shooting Smallbore Olympic Trials - Part 1 at Fort Benning, Georgia. After two days of qualification rounds and a final (which she won), the Danville, Indiana native and sits in 6th place in the Trials. Her Part 1 score will be compiled with her Olympic Trials - Part 2 score, which will be hosted at Fort Benning in March. The combined score will determine who makes Team USA for the 2020 Olympic Games smallbore events. Beard is assigned to the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and attached to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit for training. Her father, William Beard, also trained at the USAMU and is a 1984 Olympian.  

FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

10.07.2019

Story by Maj. Michelle Lunato 

U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's International Rifle Team competed in the 2019 USA Shooting Smallbore Olympic Trials - Part 1 at Fort Benning, Georgia October 2 - 4.

Overall, seven USAMU Soldiers competed in the Smallbore Three-Position Rifle event against competitors from across the United States. Scores from Part 1 will be added to the scores from the Smallbore Olympic Trials - Part 2 (in March). And that combined score will determine who makes Team USA for the 2020 Olympic Smallbore events.

At the end of Part 1, which included two days of relays and a final, below is how the Soldiers performed in Three-Position Rifle:

* U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lt. Sarah Beard from Danville, Indiana - 1st in the Final & 6th Overall (Beard is assigned to the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and attached to the USAMU for training.)

* Spc. Sagen Maddalena from Woodland, California - 4th Overall

* Spc. Emily Stith from Jacksonville, Florida - Bronze Medal Junior (14th Overall)

* Spc. Jared Desrosier from Swansea, Massachusetts - 13th Overall

* Spc. Brandon Muske from Brenham, Texas - 7th Overall

* Sgt. 1st Class Michael McPhail from Darlington, Wisconsin - 4th Overall

* Sgt. Patrick Sunderman from Farmington, Minnesota - Silver Medal Overall

* Spc. Timothy Sherry from Highlands Ranch, Colorado - 1st in Final & Gold Medal Overall

Interesting fact, all five of the top male rifle athletes are in the military: three from the U.S. Army (McPhail, Sunderman & Sherry), one from U.S. Army Reserve (Sgt. Nick Mowrer) and another from U.S. Air Force (Peter Fiori). The female rifle athletes have a good showing of military as well. Two of the top six are in the U.S. Army (Maddalena) and U.S. Army Reserve (Beard).

For all the details on the men's competition, go to https://www.usashooting.org/news/2019/10/4/1254-sherry-and-leverett-maintain-leads-through-first-half-of-mens-rifle-pistol-olympic-trials

And for details on the women's competition, go to https://www.usashooting.org/news/2019/10/2/1252-ginny-thrasher-and-alexis-lagan-rise-to-top-of-leaderboards-after-opening-phase-of-smallbore-olympic-trials

• Date Taken: 10.07.2019
• Date Posted: 10.10.2019 13:23
• Story ID: 347294
• Location: FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, US
• Hometown: BRENHAM, TEXAS, US
• Hometown: DANVILLE, INDIANA, US
• Hometown: DARLINGTON, WISCONSIN, US
• Hometown: FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA, US
• Hometown: HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLORADO, US
• Hometown: JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US
• Hometown: SWANSEA, SOUTH CAROLINA, US
• Hometown: WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA, US