Drozd and Jungman Round Out National Junior Shotgun Team with NJOSC Wins
OutdoorHub 07.17.12
In the final day of the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships, Brandy Drozd (Bryan, Texas) and Phillip Jungman (Caldwell, Texas) ascended the podium as new National Champions in Colorado Springs.
Drozd, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Texas A & M, entered the Women’s Skeet final with a commanding lead to capture her second NJOSC National Title. She shot 23 targets in the final and finished 10 targets ahead of the competition at 143.
In addition to her gold medal and national title, Drozd’s performance reaffirms her position on the National Junior Team. “I always want to shoot my best and compete to the best of my ability and this kind of proves to me that I can do it each time I step out there. I want to thank my parents for carting me around and paying for it-I know it’s not cheap-and my friends, they are great supporters as well.”
The silver medalist was National Junior Olympic Shotgun Team member Dania Vizzi (Odessa, Fla.) who upgraded to the National Junior Team with a terrific performance. Vizzi shot 120 targets headed into the final and edged out Riley Moody (Collinsville, Okla.) with 23 targets in the final. Moody finished with the bronze and 132 targets. She was followed by Kendall Reed (Azle, Texas),Gayla Gregory (Bryan, Texas) and Emily Cates (Centennial, Colo.).
Jungman, a J2 category shooter who grew up shooting 4-H, returned from the National Championships (held earlier this month) with a mission-to make the National Junior Team. Jungman, a senior at Caldwell High School, finished fourth in Nationals in an intense shoot-off and missed a team appointment by just one position. This 17-year-old entered the final with a two target lead on the competition and secured his fate with the highest final of 24 targets.
“I came here knowing that I really wanted to make the team and that was my main goal. I was confident and wanting to win-and now I’m walking away with it. I want to thank my parents for coaching me and my personal coach Todd Graves.”
The silver and bronze medals were earned through a shoot-off between Hayden Stewart (Columbia, Tenn.) and Luis Gloria (Tucson, Ariz.) Tied at 141 targets after the final, Stewart and Gloria stepped up to the fourth station and went target-for-target until Stewart won the silver after six targets. Stewart will join Jungman on the National Junior Team. In fourth was Will Dunnebacke (Columbia, Tenn.) with 140 targets and a strong 23 in the final. He was followed by Jakob Keldsen(Walkerton, Ind.) and Coulter DeWitt (Bryan, Texas).
In the J2 Women’s Skeet category, Reed took top honors with 107 targets and Cates won the silver. The bronze medalist was National Junior Olympic Shotgun Team member Hannah Houston(Columbia, Tenn.). The Men’s top placing J2 shooter was Dunnebacke followed by DeWitt andZachary McBee (Gilbert, Ariz.).
In the Men’s Skeet J3 category, Baylor Brooks (Stephenville, Texas) won the gold medal with 101 targets. Logan Keldsen (Walkerton, Ind.) was second with 98 targets and Nic Moschetti (Broomfield, Colo.) was third with 97 targets.
