Wisconsin Juniors Make Record-Setting History at 2024 National Rifle Matches
September 18, 2024
By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – For just the second time in the existence of the National Matches, a junior team claimed the overall win in the National Trophy Infantry Team event. To solidify their place in the history books even more, the collective members set new national junior and civilian records with their score of 1361 along the way.
The annual National Matches has been held each summer at the Camp Perry National Guard Training Facility in Port Clinton, Ohio, for over a century and is currently facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). The month-long event features rifle, pistol and air gun opportunities suited for both adults and juniors – welcoming some of today’s best marksmen and women, those new to the sport and everything in between.
The National Trophy Infantry Team Match is a crowd favorite – a six-person team event featuring 384 rounds, beginning at 600 yards and moving forward until all rounds are used. Because of the sound made by the constant firing, the match is better known as the “Rattle Battle” amongst the marksmanship community.
The Rattle Battle was first held in 1922, and, before this year, only two civilian teams had ever won the competition. The first was in 1930, while the second came nearly 80 years later in 2009 when the California Grizzlies earned the top civilian honor as well as becoming the first junior team to ever overtake the match.
Wisconsin’s juniors and coaches admitted to performing poorly in the event at past National Matches, but, this year, they were ready to secure their own place in the legacy of the treasured event.
“Historically, we’ve not done well in that match,” said Wisconsin’s team captain, Kaleb Hall. “We wanted to change things, so we put some time and effort into making it happen, and the results showed up.”
Along with the overall win, Wisconsin earned the Leatherneck Trophy as the top civilian team in the match and was, of course, the high junior team.
“Last year, we put a lot of work into the Infantry Trophy team match,” he said. “We spent a lot of time and effort to get everybody up to speed on what it takes to win.”
They put Mike Stewart in charge as coach and tasked him with laying out a plan. The juniors immediately rose to the challenge – practicing twice a week, beginning in May, and competing every weekend a match was conducted in Wisconsin, with extra practice as time allowed.
“We didn’t know where we’d end up, but we knew we did what we could do,” Hall said with a smile. “The kids show up every weekend to shoot our matches back home, and with the support of their parents and coaches, they’re able to do that. So, they put in the work.”
The work paid off.
“Honestly, it felt easy,” Hall said of their National Matches victories. “There were no questions, and everybody knew what they were doing. There was no worry. It was just, ‘We’ve done this before, we’re just doing it again, here.’”
The team also secured the Solider of Marathon Trophy as the leading civilian team in the National Trophy Team (NTT) Match along with the Minuteman Trophy as the leading junior team, with a score of 2923-105X.
Of the six firing members, coach and captain of the National Civilian Rifle Team, an honorary team comprised of the highest individual scores in the NTT, three of Wisconsin’s own were named firing team members (Thomas Kirsten; Liam McKenna, a former Wisconsin Junior; and Thomas McGowan), while the coach and captain also hailed from the same team (Kaleb Hall and Anna Behnke).
“I want to thank all our coaches and captains and adults, helpers,” Hall went on. “We’ve got people cooking for the kids every night, driving them out here, taking care of them. None of this would happen without them.”
Also earning a spot on the Civilian Rifle Team was 2024 Mountain Man Trophy winner (high rifle competitor of the President’s Rifle, National Trophy Individual and NTT events), Justin Utley, as well as Julia-Watson Carlson and SSG Jonathan O’Neal.
Additionally, Wisconsin provided four of the six National Junior Rifle Team members (the Colonel Bill Deneke Trophy) – Anna Behnke, Thomas Kirsten, Thomas McGowan and Kacie McGowan.
Behnke and teammate Casey Hollenbeck earned third place overall in the National Trophy Junior Team event as team “Cheddar,” while other Wisconsin teams Colby (Kacie McGowan, Samuel Ruiter) and Mozzarella (Thomas McGowan, Thomas Kirsten) earned second and first, respectively – separated only by x-count.
For their win, McGowan and Kirsten received new triggers, donated by Geissele, as well as 10-round magazines, donated by Leapers.
Congratulations also to the leading team in the NTT by just one point, All Guard, with a score of 2956-114X. Firing members were MAJ Samuel Freeman, SGT Kade Jackovich, SGT Jonathan Wood, SFC Amanda Elsenboss, SPC Jedidiah Gaddie and SSG Josh Hanrahan. The win marked only the third time the National Guard has achieved the accompanying Dogs of War Trophy, with previous wins in 1986 and 1977.
Find a complete list of results of the 2024 National Trophy Rifle and National Games Matches at https://ct.thecmp.org/24NMRifleResults. Photos of all events of the 2024 National Matches may be viewed and downloaded for free at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f456222492.