USA Shooting Names Dunn, Hancock Athletes of the Year

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USAS

USA Shooting Names Dunn, Hancock Athletes of the Year

Post by USAS »

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Based on their outstanding performances in major national and international competitions during 2005, USA Shooting has officially announced today that Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Ga.) and Haley Dunn (Eddyville, Iowa) are USA Shooting’s Athletes of the Year.



At just 16 years old, Hancock has had an unbelievable year on the international front. He has won seven medals in seven major International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) competitions, a feat that no other shooter-athlete on record has ever accomplished. In his first World Cup ever, in Changwon, Korea, he set every World Record available in men’s skeet and started his year off with a gold medal. He also won the World Clay Target Championships just a month later, and just to prove he couldn’t be stopped, continued to rack up three more silvers and two additional gold medals in ISSF competitions. He also secured a country participation quota spot for the 2008 Olympic Games in men’s skeet.



At 20 years old, Dunn first appeared at the 2005 World Cup in Korea, setting a World Record and Junior World Record but finishing in fifth place. She then went on to win the the gold at the Championships of the America’s, securing a country participation quota in women's skeet. Dunn rounded out her season at the World Cup Finals in Dubai, where she took home yet another gold medal, shooting against the top women skeet shooters in the world. Dunn also finished on top in the Fall Selection Match against the top-national shooters, all the while juggling the student-athlete life at the University of Missouri.



USA Shooting also named their male and female Athletes of the Year in the remaining two shooting disciplines. Dunn and Hancock took the shotgun discipline honor, as well as the overall award. But, in rifle, U.S. Naval reservist Lt. Eric Uptagrafft (Longmont, Colo.) won the male honor. A 50m prone specialist, Uptagrafft tied the World Record, shooting a perfect 600 qualifying score at the World Cup USA, in early May. He finished with a silver medal at that competition, but received an invitation to the World Cup Final, where he earned the gold and revenged his earlier second-place finish. Olympic Training Center resident athlete, Emily Caruso earned the distinguished female title in rifle. Caruso won the gold medal at the Championships of the America’s, while securing a country quota spot in women’s air. She also carries the 2005 National Championship title in women’s air rifle.



Another Olympic Training Center resident athlete, Beki Snyder, is awarded the USA Shooting female pistol Athlete of the Year. Snyder won the gold medal at the Championships of the America’s in air pistol, while securing a country quota spot for the U.S. at the Olympic Games in 2008. Snyder also finished in the top-eight, at the World Cup Munich and was the 2005 National Champion in women’s air and sport pistol. There was no male Athlete of the Year named in pistol, due to the fact that no one qualified in the selection criteria laid out for this award.



For more information on USA Shooting, or its athletes, please log on to www.usashooting.org; or contact USA Shooting’s media director, Sara Greenlee at sara.greenlee@usashooting.org.
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