Over the next several weeks, we will be looking back at the year and highlighting one moment from each of our varsity sports at the Coast Guard Academy.
Today, we look at the top moment from the rifle season. We hope you enjoy looking back at these moments as much as we enjoy sharing them with you. #gocgabears
TOP MOMENT – RIFLE
Bears Win Third Straight MAC Championship
March 8, 2020 – Cambridge, Mass.
Coast Guard put its undefeated conference record on the line at the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference Championship and did not disappoint, coming away with its third consecutive MAC Championship and a second clean sweep of the top three individual places in both smallbore and air rifle competition at MIT.
The Bears led off the smallbore phase by opening a 70 point edge over traditional rival MIT. Junior Seth Strayer shot a match-high 194 kneeling and kept on rolling to end up with a 576-26X aggregate score and the individual smallbore championship.
Hunter Blankenship's 187 standing gave the junior rifleman honors in that position and helped him rack up a 568-25X total which was good for the silver medal in individual competition.
Bryce Sturtz, a sophomore, struggled in kneeling and prone but put together a solid standing which gave him a 557-16X and two point edge over MIT's Jesus Herrera, who had the top prone score of 198, for the individual bronze.
Freshman Berit Bedord's 548-19X was sixth overall and rounded out the team which notched a 2249-86X for the team win.
Day two of the championship saw Strayer led off with a solid 585 which earned him his second individual championship is as many days. Sturtz made a strong comeback from his smallbore performance with a 582 and the individual silver medal.
Blankenship, who had been in the doldrums in his last few air rifle matches, broke out of his mini slump and shot a 578 for the bronze.
Bedord had a strong showing with a 573, just two points shy of her personal best and fourth overall. With an air rifle aggregate of 2318 Coast Guard wrapped up the air rifle championship.
Coast Guard's grand aggregate of 4567 earned the Bears their third straight conference championship.
