The men’s and women’s shooting sports program started just two years ago, but has quickly established itself as a lead contender on the national scene.
Practicing on the university’s new rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooting ranges and sporting clay fields at the Liberty Mountain Gun Club near campus, the Flames and Lady Flames have claimed individual titles and top-five regional and national team showings in the past year.
Carl Pongs won a national title in Sporting Clays at the ACUI Collegiate Shotgun National Championships in San Antonio.
Mitchell Feaga was an individual national champion at the NRA Intercollegiate Club Rifle Championships in Fort Benning, Ga. Feaga went on to place ninth out of 61 Small Bore competitors at the USA Rifle/Pistol National Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs.
The Action Team (3-gun pistol and rifle) earned a silver medal at the Scholastic Action Shooting Program Collegiate National Championships in Talladega, Ala.
“We are enjoying great success and getting done early what we had only dreamed about as a first-year program a year ago,” Head Coach Dave Hartman said. “I have really good shooters, and they’re eager to go show the world what they can do.”
“We’re just trying to do our best, not just in shooting, but to honor God in that,” said senior shotgun team co-captain Josh Lancaster. “We want to really show people what Liberty’s all about, what God’s all about, while we are there.”
The program’s upward trajectory parallels the continued expansion of its facility. A lodge currently under construction behind the shotgun range is scheduled to open this summer. The building will feature a great room with a fireplace, a team room, staff offices and a pro shop area to purchase ammunition and accessories.
