COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (September 21, 2019)
Austen Smith (Keller, Texas) pulled out a finals victory over six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode (Monrovia, Calif.) to take the top spot in the women’s skeet competition at the USA Shooting Shotgun Fall Selection, 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Kerrville, Texas. The three-point bonus earned for her finals win gave Smith a four-day total of 243 points, two better than second-place finisher Dania Vizzi (Odessa, Fla.) and three points ahead of Samantha Simonton (Gainesville, Ga.) who placed third. The final leg of the Olympic Trials, the Shotgun Spring Selection, will be held February 25-March 8 in Tucson, Ariz.
Rhode earned two bonus points in the finals to move up to fourth place in the standings with 239 points. Placing third in the finals was Caitlin Connor (Winnfield, La.), who ended up tied for fifth place in the women’s skeet standings with Amber English (Colorado Springs, Colo.) of the Army Marksmanship Unit. Both shooters totaled 236 points over the four days of competition at the Hill Country Shooting Sports Center.
In the men’s skeet finals, three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vincent Hancock (Fort Worth, Texas) defeated Phillip Jungman (Caldwell, Texas) to finish one point ahead of Jungman, 248-247. Colt McBee (Brady, Texas), who was atop the leaderboard over the first three days, finished third with 246 points. Placing fourth in the standings and third in the finals was Dustan Taylor (Liberty, N.C.) with a 244-point total.
Junior champions were Jacenta Jacob (Rochester, Mich.) in the women’s division (223/49) and Preston Jones (Texas) in the men’s division (238/54). High collegiate honors went to Gracin Anderson
