Morales, Middletown Post 151 Earn Historic Wins During 2026 CMP Three-Position National Championships
August 27, 2026
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – In June, Bryan Morales, 17, of Middletown Post 151 from New York, recorded a historic win for his school – becoming the first air rifle national champion after earning the sporter title at the 2026 CMP National Three-Position Air Rifle Championship.
The 2026 CMP National Three-Position Air Rifle Championships, facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), was held June 18-20 for Sporter and July 9-11 for Precision at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Port Clinton, Ohio.
Competition included two days of qualifying scores from kneeling, prone and standing positions, followed by an eight-person, three-position elimination final on the second day to determine overall winners.
“It started a little off,” Morales admitted with a laugh, speaking of his finals performance.
Before the final, he had forgotten his sling and glove in the parking lot, but once someone from his team retrieved them and brought them back to the range, he was equipped and ready to go.
“I overcame it, and I thought about shooting – how far I came here,” he explained. “I heard everyone else cheering my name, so it gave me more motivation.”
Morales earned the win after beginning the final in seventh place on the line and moving his way to the top – finishing by a one-point margin overall over second place competitor Makenna Quick, 18, of Guns R Us from Nebraska. Chris Fick, 17, of Haughton Air Force JROTC from Louisiana claimed bronze.
Not only did Morales’s team serve as his personal support during the match but they built each other up enough to earn the overall sporter team win with a score of 4,400-155X – a full 22 points over second place team, Zion Benton High School of Illinois. Pearl City Chargers High School from Hawaii took third with a score of 4,306-128X.
“We practice a lot and we gave it all that we’ve got,” Morales said of Middletown. “And my coach is an amazing coach.”
Head coach Thomas Willard is a retired U.S. Marine who shot on the Marine Corps rifle team and has been with Middletown Post 151 since its beginnings in 1993. His team practices in the upstairs of the sponsoring American Legion Post, which has provided staunch support for the last three decades.
With the win, the firing team members of Morales, Yaniel Rodriguez Vera, Guadalupe Delrosa and Estefani Barba became the first from Middletown Post 151 to earn a national championship title.
“I feel very happy about that. That was my one dream I wanted to do,” Morales said. “And to be a national champion myself, I think that was just a bonus.”
In precision competition, Briley Sralla, 18, of Texas Hill Country Shooters, nabbed gold by a two-point margin over second place competitor Kamdyn McFarland, 18, of Yellowstone Rifle Club from Montana. Makenzie Larson, 18, of American Legion Post 109 from Colorado, took third.
Another American Legion team, Post 295 from Ohio, reached the top of the precision podium for the Team Championship title with a score of 4,698-313X. Firing members were Delilah Muzik, Sarah Mix, Meredith Miller and Ruby Harris.
Texas Hill Country Shooters followed closely behind with a score of 4,697-335 for second as Lafayette Gun Club from Virginia rounded out the top three teams with a score of 4,686-305X.
Leading individuals and teams in the national championships earned checks from the CMP: $500 for third, $750 for second and $1,000 for first for individuals and $1,000 for third, $1,500 for second and $2,000 for first for top teams.
The CMP was also honored to present 25 new Junior Distinguished Badges: 9 sporter and 16 precision. Athletes receive the prestigious award after earning enough points at designated events and showing continued excellence on the firing line.
One recipient who was shocked to learn he had claimed a Junior Distinguished Badge of his own during the National Sporter Awards Ceremony was Jakobe Changasie, 18, of Mariner High School Army JROTC from Florida.
Earning a badge was certainly an important objective for Changasie throughout his air rifle career. A senior in 2026, he was aiming for and expecting to earn the badge at JROTC Nationals in March, but he eventually realized he had miscalculated his points and ended up just short.
Once he learned his team would be attending CMP Nationals in June, he knew it was one more chance to reach his goal. But, once again, he didn’t think he had done well enough to achieve the badge.
Then suddenly, at the awards ceremony, his name was called, and a look of disbelief overcame him as his teammates burst into uncontrollable cheers for his accomplishment.
“I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness. There’s no way this is happening,’” Changasie said with wide eyes and a bright smile. “Honestly, the best moment for me was seeing how happy my teammates were behind me.”
“We like to say, ‘It takes a village,’ and without them and my coaches and mentors – I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far and wouldn’t have gotten a badge,” he added.
He went on to discuss the importance of the badge’s existence for young athletes in the air rifle community.
“It’s just such a milestone that really, I think, doesn’t just show your ability as a shooter but your ability as an athlete in total – what you actually put into the sport,” he explained. “It’s not always about winning but having something like this as a recognition shows how much dedication, time and effort really does get put into this sport.”
Now graduated and his high school sporter air rifle career at an end, Changasie has advice for other juniors who may be looking for something meaningful to become involved with in their own lives.
“To anyone that’s thinking about this sport at all, you know, if you’re a little iffy – definitely just give it a try. It changed my life, it changed the lives of a lot of people I know, and it’s definitely worth taking a shot.”
On top of his National Championship title, Morales was also one of the top three graduating seniors of the sporter nationals and was presented a $1,000 scholarship by the CMP, along with Makenna Quick and Mark Stevens, 18, of Page High School from North Carolina.
The top three graduating precision seniors also received $1,000 scholarships, which included the top three individuals of the match: Briley Sralla, Kamdyn McFarland and Makenzie Larson.
The scholarships presented at Nationals were in addition to the $1 Million the CMP awarded to outstanding seniors in 2026 as part of its Scholarship Program, established in support of youth student-athletes and their future endeavors.
Outside of competition, those who attended the CMP Nationals had the opportunity to have a little fun off the range as the CMP hosted an outdoor beach party, complete with cornhole, volleyball, a live DJ and food trucks. Thank you to all who attended!
See a complete list of results of the 2026 CMP National Three-Position Air Rifle National Championships at https://ct.thecmp.org/2026N3PARCResults. Photos are available for free viewing and download at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f796169746.