QVHS Girl Wins Gold at 4-H Shooting Invitational

A student was recently part of a winning team named the top 4-H shooters in the nation.

"We did pretty well," Nicholle Benedict told a Nebraska television station, after claiming her medal along with her team's medals.

Members of the 4-H Pennsylvania Shooting Sports Teams traveled to Grand Island, Nebraska last week to participate in the 2012 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational.

In the end, the small-bore rifle team of Pennsylvania won the National 4-H NRA 3 Position Championship and the gold medal.

The team consisted of Nicholle, 16, who is entering her junior year at and Sylvia Dreistadt of Washington County. Both members of the Frazier-Simplex 4-H Club of Washington County teamed up with Simon Knapp of Somerset County and Ellen Gingrich, Cumberland County to form the team after they took the top positions in the 4-H Pennsylvania State Championship.

Four different teams participated in the small-bore rifle, sporter air rifle, shotgun and archery events. In all, more than 500 young adults from 33 states participated in the four-day shooting event.

In addition to the gold, Pennsylvania's team also brought home the bronze medal in "Smallbore Rifle Silhouette" and an aggregate score of their three events --Silhouette, CMP and 3 Position--placed the small-bore team of Pennsylvania in second place to lay claim to the 4-H Shooting Invitational’s overall silver medal.

In the individual standings, Nicholle shot a personal high (558/600) and captured the national "4-H 3 Position" championship and individual gold medal. She claimed a seventh place in the Silhouette match and placed fifth in the overall competition.

Simon Knapp placed 10th in silhouette and captured 6th place in the overall standings. Sylvia Dreisdadt showed her skill in the 3P with a score of (539/600) and placed fifth in the match. Ellen Gingrich led the team in the CMP Sporter 3P event with a (572/600) score.

The invitational took place June 18-22, and shooting days were June 19-21.

Standings are listed below:

2012 4H National Invitational Shooting Sports Final Results:

TEAM MEMBERS:
Nicholle Benedict, Wash. County, Frazier-Simplex 4H, (Quaker Valley HS)
Sylvia Dreisdadt, Wash. County, Frazier-Simplex 4H, Ellen Gingrich, Cumberland County, and Simon Knapp, Somerset County.

TEAM PENNSYLVANIA:

• 2012 NRA 3 Position Small-bore Rifle 4-H National Champion Gold Medal 

• 2012 NRA Small-bore Silhouettes 4-H Bronze Medal

• 2012 CMP 3 Position Small-bore Rifle 4-H seventh place

• 2012 3 Day 4-H Overall Silver Medal second place

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:

• Nicholle Benedict, 2012 NRA 3 Position National Champion Gold Medal seventh place Silhouette; fifth place 3 Day Overall
• Sylvia Dreisdadt, fifth place NRA 3 Position Smallbore Rifle
• Simon Knapp sixth place Overall 3 Day; 10th place Silhouette
• Rachel Adams placed eighth in Air Rifle 3;
• Jim Dalton (shotgun) placed in top 10 Overall