By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – In a tight National Trophy Individual (NTI) Pistol Match, fired on July 17, PFC Christopher Hudock, 26, of the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU), received his name on the General Custer Trophy as the overall winner by finishing strong in the last stage of the event – earning the win by his rapid fire score of 99-7x.

At the end of the match, PFC Hudock was left tied with MSG Robert Mango, 42, of the U.S. Army Reserve team, with a score of 292-15x. In the result of a tie, the rapid fire scores are compared, with PFC Hudock firing just two x's above MSG Mango.

The 2016 National Pistol Matches was PFC Hudock's first as a member of the AMU pistol team, having been named a member in July 2015. A strong competitor since he was a junior, PFC Hudock became Distinguished in rifle before moving to pistol, where he worked to earn his Service Pistol distinction in 2012 as well as a .22 Rimfire Pistol distinction in 2016.

A true versatile marksman, he serves as an example to those who may also choose to make the move from rifle to pistol, sending words of encouragement by saying, "I came from the rifle side of the house – I've got half of my life on the Service Rifle. Anyone who transfers over to pistol at any capacity, it's going to be a kick in the gut. Your eyes will really open."

"But, don't give up if it's something you want," he added. "You can do it."

Though falling short in the NTI Match, MSG Mango still managed to garner a fantastic showing at Nationals as the overall winner of the President's 100 Match, the top Army Reserve competitor in the NTI Match and was also named the overall Service Pistol competitor of the National Trophy Pistol Matches.

In team competition, USAMU Blue won its 10th consecutive National Trophy Pistol Team Match with a score of 1150-43x. Firing team members were SGT Ryan Franks, SSG Greg Markowski, PFC Christopher Hudock and SFC Lawrence Cleveland.

Junior Glenn Zimmerman, 20, of Waterville, OH, earned the top spot in the Junior Individual Pistol Match to receive the G.P. Perry DeFino Trophy for the second time, with a new National Record score of 292-12x.

His first win came in 2013, when he also earned the overall junior pistol title. He earned that honor again the following year, along with becoming the winner of the Junior President's Pistol Match – making him no stranger to the pressure that comes with competing at the National Match level.

"Mentally, competing out here gets a little bit easier. Some years are a little bit harder than others, with weather, like we saw this year, but mentally I become comfortable with it and I know what to expect," he said. "I can tailor my gear to the conditions, I know what I have works, and it all comes down to me."

At his first National Match appearance, Jack Leverett III, 16, of Bainbridge, GA, claimed the overall position in the Junior President's Pistol Match with a score of 368-8x and was named the overall junior competitor. He also teamed up with his brother, Henry, to fire a combined score of 559-9x for the Junior Team Trophy. The team is coached by their dad, Jack Jr.

"It was really fun," he said. "[The competitors at National Matches] are great examples for everyone. They're someone to look up to, so I enjoyed being around them."

Pistol Award Winners:

President's 100:
Overall:
1. MSG Robert Mango, 42, Kailua, HI (USAR) – 387-13x

2. SFC James Henderson, 49, Midland, GA (USAMU) – 385-16x

3. SFC Lawrence Cleveland, 31, Columbus, GA (USAMU) – 385-15x

High Woman: Judy Tant, 66, East Lansing, MI – 357-3x
High Senior: Cecil Rhodes, 59, Clayton, NC – 366-6x

National Trophy Individual Pistol Match:
General Custer Trophy (Overall): PFC Christopher Hudock, 26, Fort Benning, GA (USAMU) – 292-15x
National Woman's Trophy: Judy Tant – 276-8x
Ancient Archer Trophy (Law Enforcement): Kevin Vacura, 55, Red Wing, MN – 280-7x
General Curtis LeMay Trophy (USAF): SSgt Roy Vreeland, 26, Columbia, MD (USAF) – 286-7x
National Guard Association Trophy: SPC Nestor Pena, 53, Davenport, FL (ARNG) – 285-7x
U.S. Army Reserve Memorial Trophy: MSG Robert Mango – 292-15x
Citizens' Military Pistol Trophy (Civilian): Jonathan Shue, 34, Stafford, VA – 291-18x
Senior Pistol Trophy: Joe Chang, 60, Springfield, VA – 284-8x

National Trophy Pistol Team Match:
Gold Cup Trophy (Overall Team): USAMU Blue – 1143-45x
Team members: SGT Ryan Franks, SSG Greg Markowski, PFC Christopher Hudock, SFC Lawrence Cleveland; Captain: SFC Adam Sokolowski; Coach: SFC James Henderson
Oglethorpe Trophy (Civilian): Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA) – 1107-29x
Team members: Khang Le (Captain), Joe Chang, Matthew Buckman, Viesturs Lenss
U.S. Coast Guard Memorial Trophy: All Guard - Red – 1104-27x
Team members: SSG Timothy Barber, SSG Daniel Kupar, SFC Eric Lawrence, SPC Nestor Pena; Captain: MSG Ralph Young; Coach: SSG Joseph Sellers

NTI-NTT Aggregate:
Anheuser Busch Trophy (Civilian): Joe Chang – 568-16x
Fleet Admiral Nimitz Trophy (Navy): FCCS Brian Reed, 42, Ramona, CA – 538-9x
The General Patton Trophy (Active Army): Sgt. Ryan Franks, 28, Phenix City, AL – 579-21x
William McMillan Trophy (Marine Corps): GySgt Jason Hedrick, 40, Williamsburg, WV – 570-23x

Overall Service Pistol: MSG Robert Mango – 970-39x

Junior President's Pistol Match:
1. Jack Leverett III, 16, Bainbridge, GA – 368-8x (97-6x RF)

2. Anthony McCollum, 20, Purdin, MO – 368-8x (95-2x RF)

3. Glenn Zimmerman, 20, Waterville, OH – 367-9x


Junior Individual Pistol Match:
1. G.P. Perry DeFino Trophy (Overall): Glenn Zimmerman – 292-12x

2. Anthony McCollum – 283-10x

3. Bernard Melus – 283-4x


Junior Team Trophy: Sowega Sports – 559-9x
Team members: Jack Leverett III, Henry Leverett; Coach/Captain: Jack Leverett Jr.

Overall Junior: Jack Leverett III – 930-18x

For a complete list of National Pistol Matches results, visit https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&tab=results&match=14105.

Photos of each event can be viewed and downloaded for free at http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f352326966.


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.


Christine Elder
CMP Communications Manager
(419) 635-2141, ext. 711
>celder@thecmp.org
http://www.thecmp.org