Ramsey County teams claimed top honors in all three divisions of the recent 4-H State Air Rifle Match in Devils Lake. Ramsey County youth also were the top shooters in the Air Pistol Match, which was held the same day.

The team of Maria Rosa-Nieves, Brandon Alexander, Christopher Morstad and Jacob Vaagen took first place in the senior division of the air rifle competition. The junior division air rifle team champions were Hannah Vaagen, Rachel Alexander, Malcolm Stubbe and Michael Lankowicz.

The team of Isaac Vaagen, Landon Kurtz, Rebecca Morstad and Evan Arndt took first place in the beginner division.

Beginners are youth ages 8 to 10, while those ages 11 to 13 compete in the junior division, and 14- to 18-year-olds are in the senior division. The competition was limited to sporter class air rifles.

Beginners participated in a 40-shot bench rest competition for a possible score of 400. The junior and senior teams competed in a three-position, (prone, kneeling and standing) event, performing 20 shots in each position for a potential score of 600.

Rosa-Nieves was the top scorer in the senior division with 536 and Brandon Alexander placed second with a score of 523. Christopher Morstad was in third place with a score of 479. The Ramsey team has qualified for the 2017 4-H National Invitational in Grand Island, Neb.

The top two shooters in the junior division were Rachel Alexander, with a score of 473, and Hannah Vaagen, with 400. Garrett Gehrke of Cass County placed third with a score of 298.

Isaac Vaagen was the top scorer in the beginner division with a score of 355. Kurtz was in second place with a score of 354, and Rebecca Morstad finished in the third spot with 350.

In the 4-H State Pistol Match, youth completed 40 shots in a standing position at 10 meters for a maximum of 400 points. The senior master division participants are youth who previously qualified for the 4-H National Invitational Match and no longer are eligible to compete for the state championship in the senior division.

In the senior division, Ramsey County’s Hannah Morstad fired a score of 349 to take top honors. Teammate Addisyn Meyer scored 320 for second place. Tyler Marschke of Cass County placed third with a score of 242. The senior youth will be eligible to participate in the 2017 National Invitational.

Max Schuh of Ramsey County will represent North Dakota in the 2016 4-H National Invitational this summer. He was the first and only air pistol senior competitor from Ramsey County in 2015 and achieved a national qualifying score. He achieved a gold medal with a score of 349 in the 2016 senior master division.

The junior division was represented by Braydon Gerhardt, who received a score of 175.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - April 19, 2016