Abzug, Richards Mark New National Records at 2026 Alabama Airgun & Smallbore Cup
October 28, 2026
ANNISTON; TALLADEGA, Ala. – Zachary Abzug, 11, of Mockton, MD, set not one, not two, but three National Records during the 2026 Alabama Airgun & Smallbore Cup!
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) annual event was held Oct. 8-11 and included indoor 60-shot air rifle and air pistol matches at the Judith Legerski CMP Competition Center in Anniston as well as an outdoor 3×20 smallbore rifle match, fired just down the road at CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park. Each competition included qualification scores and an elimination final to determine overall winners.
On Day 1 of competition, Abzug acquired a U15 Air Rifle 60-shot Men’s record score of 617.9. Following up with a 616.6, he managed to reach a two-day aggregate of 1,243.3 to secure 10th place in the Open Match out of 82 competitors – also enough to make the eight-person Junior Final.
He climbed from fourth to first as the final continued on – ending with a commanding four-point lead over second place finisher, Jordan Richards, with a score of 250.0. Abzug’s win also led him to U15 and U18 Men’s Records for an Air Rifle Final.
Delilah Muzik, 16, of Green Springs, OH, claimed the third place spot.
Richards, 16, of Winchester, TN, may have fallen short of the win in the Junior Match, but her talents carried her all the way to fourth place overall in the Open Match.
She also marked a new U21 Women’s Final National Record score of 351.5 in the 3×20 Smallbore Junior Final – a nine-point lead over second place competitor, Kelsey Dardas, 16, of Colorado Springs, CO. Logan Sanchez, 17, of Windsor, CO, rounded out the top three juniors.
In the Open Air Rifle and Smallbore competitions, members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) cleaned up the top three places.
Air Rifle:
- SPC John Blanton, 24, Columbus, GA
- SSG Brandon Muske, 32, Midland, GA
- SGT Alison Weisz, 31, Belgrade, MT
Smallbore:
- SGT Ivan Roe, 30, Phenix City, AL
- SPC Jared Eddy, 26, Midland, GA
- SGT Alison Weisz, 31, Belgrade, MT
Weisz additionally earned the Air Rifle win in the two-person team competition, consisting of one adult and one junior athlete, alongside Junior Champion, Zachary Abzug.
In Air Pistol, last year’s champion Nathalia Tobar Prado, 39, of Anniston, AL, returned to reclaim the overall win – besting Suman Sanghera, 21, of Great Falls, VA, by two points. Xihan Sun, 16, of Vancouver, BC, landed in third.
Sun also earned fourth overall in the Junior Final, falling short of Allison Torrence, 19, of Calhan, CO, who claimed third. Hayden Tairney, 17, of Elizabeth, CO, earned second, as Vaishnavi Bethi, 16, of Clarksville, TE, overtook first place by only a one-point margin.
Tairney paired up with Open Champion, Nathalia Tobar Prado, for the overall win in the Air Pistol Team Aggregate event.
The Alabama Airgun & Smallbore Cup also hosts a fun Target Sprint event, combining a running course with a knockdown target station for the ultimate test of endurance and concentration. Leaders of the 2026 Target Sprint:
Junior Category:
First Place: James Tucker, 15, Edgewood, NM – 6:31
Second Place: Noah Dueck, 17, Granbury, TX – 7:09
Third Place: Aiden Hollis, 14, Granbury, TX – 8:03
Adult Category:
First place: Chance Cover, 35, Columbia, MO – 5:43
Second place: Hank Gray, 47, Anniston, AL – 7:12
Third place: Bernardo Tobar, 48, Pine Moutain, GA – 7:23
Find a complete list of results of the 2026 Alabama Airgun & Smallbore Cup at https://ct.thecmp.org/26AASCResults. View photos (available for purchase) through the CMP Zenfolio online album at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/p128900994.
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