Lake, Whidden Claim Overall Wins, F-Class Makes Debut at 2022 National Smallbore Matches

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – The 2022 National Smallbore Matches, held at Camp Perry and facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), commemorated its fourth year as part of the annual National Matches calendar by delivering fresh champions on the podium and introducing new opportunities for competitors on the firing line.

The series began on July 19 and ran to July 27, highlighting a number of talented adult and junior athletes along the way in Three-Position and Prone competitions. A Small Arms Firing School, led by members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, was also held during the nine-day schedule..

andy Herrmann was the first winner in the National Matches F-Class events.

For the first time in the program’s history, the National Smallbore series showcased an F-Class. Obtaining all the first F-Class titles over the course of the Smallbore series was PO3 Randy Herrmann, 65, of Kingsport, Tennessee. Having competed in both service rifle, smallbore and long range rifle competitions over his career, 2022 marked his 15th trip to Camp Perry.

“It was a real pleasure to be doing the competition – winning’s just part of it,” Herrmann said. “I enjoyed every minute of it . . . I thought it was a good experience.”

Awards were presented to overall winning individuals and teams, as well as to top athletes in age (Under 21, Under 18, Under 15, Over 60 and Over 70) and marksmanship classification categories.

Three-Position (3P) Smallbore Championships:

The Three-Position National Championship was comprised of two days of competition in Iron and Any Sight matches – with 20 record shots at kneeling, prone and standing positions.

Griffin Lake, 17, of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, captured numerous awards at the event, including the Overall Three-Position Aggregate with a score of 1117-27X. He was also the high Intermediate Junior (under 18).

He’s been involved with marksmanship practically his entire life – firing his first rifle at five and beginning competition at 11. Though he also competes in precision air rifle (and even recently earned a place on the USA Shooting National Futures Team in the discipline), he admits that smallbore is his true focus.

“I just did what I usually do – which is shoot,” he said, simply, of competing at Camp Perry. “I just like to shoot.”

Ashlyn Blake was the leading competitor in the Three-Position Any Sight event.

Earning the second place position behind Lake in the Overall Aggregate was Ashlyn Blake, 15, of Sparta, New Jersey, with a score of 1116-35X. Though she finished behind Lake in the Overall, Blake managed to surpass him in the Any Sight Competition by x-count – reaching a score of 565-26X for the win.

Brothers Ryan and Tyler Wee claimed the Freedom’s Fire Match win for the second year.

Ryan Wee, 17, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, fell just short in the Overall Aggregate behind Lake and Blake, securing a score of 1116-27X for third.

Megan Jaros led the Iron Sight Championship.

Taking the top spot in the Iron Sight Championship was Megan Jaros, 16, of Roseville, Minnesota, with a score of 567-14X. Tyler DeKruger, 17, of Lancaster, New York, took second behind Jaros – leading third place finisher Addy Burrow, 21, of Williamson, Georgia, by one point.

In team competition, Ryan Wee returned to pair up with his brother, Tyler, 15, to reach a score of 1126-39X and the win in the Freedom’s Fire Match for the second year in a row. The Wee brothers also joined Ashlyn Blake and Alexa Bodrogi to earn the high score in the four-person Team Championship with 2237-47X.

Prone Smallbore Championships:

Like 3P, the National Prone Championships featured two days of both Iron Sight and Any Sight events (four days overall) for adults and juniors. Each day included four stages of fire at 50 yards, 50 meters and 100 yards.

John Whidden was the Overall champion of the Prone 6400 Aggregate.

John Whidden, 46, of Nashville, Georgia, was named the Prone 6400 Aggregate Champion after firing a score of 6379-449X. During his route to the Aggregate win, Whidden also earned third overall in the Iron (Metallic) Sight Championship and second in the Any Sight match.

Jordyn Ewine earned the Overall Junior title of the Any Sight match.

Top juniors of the 6400 Aggregate were Jordyn Ewine, 17, of Buffalo, North Dakota, Ashlee Peters, 18, of Pelham, New Hampshire, and Benjamin D’Angelo, 20, of Jamestown, New York.

Finding second in the Aggregate event was Antonio Gross, 22, of Ontario, New York – eight points below Whidden. Larry Parker, 71, of Swanzey, New Hampshire, took third.

Mark Del Cotto led the Metallic Sight Prone event.

Leading the Iron (Metallic) Sight Championship was Mark Del Cotto, 62, of Lexington, Kentucky, with a score of 3192-220X. Del Cotto was also the high senior competitor of the match.

Following in second was Antonio Gross with 3188-199X, as John Whidden landed in third with 3186-212X.

High juniors using Iron Sights were Brady Fowkes, 18, of Mayport, Pennsylvania (who earned fourth overall), Ashlee Peters and Jordyn Ewine. All three juniors were within the top eight competitors of the over 60 entered in the event.

Eric Gestl was the top competitor of the Any Sight Prone match.

In the Any Sight competition, Eric Gestl, 56, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired a score of 3194-232X for secure first overall. Whidden returned to claim second by just one point under Gestl, as Abigail Benson, 24, of Brockport, New York, fell one point short of Whidden for third.

Jordyn Ewine was the overall junior of the Any Sight Match after besting Joseph Hahn, 19, of Middle Grove, New York, by x-count. Benjamin D’Angelo followed in third in the junior match.

Find a complete list of results of the 2022 CMP National Smallbore Matches at https://ct.thecmp.org/2022smallboreresults. Photos of all the Smallbore events may be viewed and downloaded for free at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f14785959.

New to Come in 2023:

The National Smallbore Matches will return in 2023 with a contemporary look that should excite competitors of all ages. Instead of the traditional paper targets, each competition of the National Smallbore Matches will be fired on electronic targets – hoping to create an even more inviting atmosphere for athletes of all ages to enjoy! Follow updates of the National Smallbore Matches throughout the year at https://thecmp.org/cmp-national-matches/smallbore-national-matches/. 

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.