Precision, sporter air rifle champions crowned

The American Legion crowned its 2024 Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship precision and sporter winners Saturday, July 20, in Hillsdale, Mich. The top eight in both classes competed in the Margot Biermann Athletic Center on the campus of Hillsdale College for the finals after two previous days of back-to-back tournament matches.

The precision champion is Emme Walrath of Kenosha, Wis., and second-place finisher is Kamdyn McFarland of Billings, Mont. Sporter champion is Alexandra Orr of Poquoson, Va., and second-place finisher is Zachary Higgins of Gray, Tenn. Walrath and Orr will receive a $5,000 scholarship provided by The American Legion and Sons of The American Legion, along with a trip to The American Legion’s 105th national convention in New Orleans in August to be honored. McFarland and Higgins will receive a $1,000 scholarship provided by the American Legion Auxiliary. 

First on the firing line for the finals were the top eight sporters, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Both the precision and sporter top eight competitors fired 10 individual shots for a total possible score of 109.

Walrath and Orr held their first-place positions to win.  

“It was very exciting. I started crying a little bit when I found out,” Orr said of winning sporter with a score of 91.9 “It was definitely a lot of work. It was very stressful for the finals knowing one shot and you could be down too many points to catch up. I knew I had to keep my heartrate down, so between every shot I was taking deep breaths, just trying to calm down so I wouldn’t be super shaky while I was shooting.”

Higgins was in third position coming into the finals for sporter and took second place after the fourth shot and held on to it.

“This is my last match and I wanted to go out with a bang, and I feel like I accomplished it. It feels really good and honestly, I’m kind of shocked because I expected to not do as well as I thought in the finals,” said Higgins, who shot an 85.1 “The whole competition is like any competition I have done before. Especially for my last one, it’s super great. The caliber of people I’m shooting with … it’s top 30 precision and sporter in the nation. It was just an honor getting to be here. The way the whole thing was run was just fantastic. I loved this competition.”

Higgins, who recently graduated from Daniel Boone High School, grew up hunting and shooting with his dad, which inspired him to get into air rifle.  

“I love the competitiveness and just growing up shooting, it felt like me. It was literally the best thing about my high school career probably, last four years of my life, has been the (Daniel Boone MCJROTC) rifle team.”  

McFarland headed in the finals for precision in third position with Mackenzie Larson of Colorado in second. After a close final match, McFarland claimed a second-place finish with a score of 102.7.

“It feels really good,” McFarland said of her second-place finish. “Every I took I would look over at Mackenzie and we just kept taking the same shots. But I stayed pretty calm; I was trying to have fun and stay relaxed. It’s been a great match.”

The focus heading into the finals for precision champion Walrath was to have fun.

“It's my very last final before college so I just wanted to have fun with it,” said Walrath, who shot a 104.6. “Being the champion for this match, I feel very good about it. I have been just working as hard as possible for the last few weeks. I just came back from the CMP Nationals as well, and I did struggle quite a bit over there, especially in the finals. And I lost my first-place position there. So coming out here and being able to do as well as what I would hope here and be able to maintain that is rewarding. This match is a good end to my final high school matches.

“I would like to thank The American Legion so much for allowing me the opportunity to come out here, and for allowing me to earn the scholarship because it really will help in college (Georgia Southern University).”

Walrath loves the sport of air rifle because of the competitiveness but also because of the friendships built and encouragement shared during competition.

“We get competitive sometimes with each other but we’re all having fun with each other while we’re competing,” she said. “We are not against each other; we always congratulate ourselves and each other whenever we reach a personal record and that kind of stuff. We are always so interconnected, and we’re always celebrating with each other. I really love that about this sport.

“I want to thank (The American Legion) for also allowing all of us to grow the friendships that we have out of this competition.”

Results for top eight precision:

1. 2,495.6 – Emme Walrath of Wisconsin, American Legion Post 295

2. 2,483.7 – Kamdyn McFarland of Montana, Yellowstone Rifle Club

2. 2,483.4 – Makenzie Larson of Colorado, American Legion Post 109

4. 2,476.6 – Samuel Adkins of Pennsylvania, Palmyra Junior Rifle Team

5. 2,476.2 – Hunter Jenkins of West Virginia, Mason Dixon Junior Rifle

6. 2,467.6 – Logan Michael of California,  Lincoln Rifle Club

7. 2,465.9 – Ziva Swick of Pennsylvania, Palmyra Junior Rifle Team

8. 2,461.4 – Gabriella Sprague of Pennsylvania, DuBois Rifle & Pistol Club

Results for top eight sporter:

1.     2,308.1 – Alexandra Orr of Virginia, Lafayette Gun Club

2.     2,297.1 – Zachary Higgins of Tennessee, Daniel Boone MCJROTC

3.     2,291.3 – Elaine Saint of South Carolina, Walhalla HS Rifle Team

4.     2,282.1 – Brooklyn Zeigler of Tennessee, Daniel Boone MCJROTC

5.     2,279.0 – Clay Crawford of South Dakota, Marshall County Sharpshooters

6.     2,277.9 – Kaitlynn Burrell of South Carolina, Walhalla HS Rifle Team

7.     2,277.8 – Zoe Dissing of South Dakota, Humboldt Sharpshooters

8.     2,271.7 – Elyssa Vazquez of Florida, Mariner HS AJROTC