University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
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Stories & Highlights
2006-07  season 

Women’s Rifle Captures Dual MAC Championships (3/4/07)

The Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) Championships took place yesterday at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland with the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women’s rifle team capturing dual conference titles.

The USP women’s team started off the day winning their second consecutive MAC Air Rifle title defeating Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 1919-1860 in the Marksman Division. The women then followed their air rifle win with a 1977-1940 triumph over Mass Maritime to capture the smallbore title in the Marksman Division as well. The USP women’s Team won the Pro Marksman Division Air Rifle title in 2006.

The USP mixed team also competed at the MAC’s but fell short against a hot Penn State University team in their Sharpshooter Division air rifle match, 2165-2042.

Brittany Crocco (Sr., Annville-Cleona HS/Annville, Pa.) led the women’s team in smallbore with a score of 498 (97/94 prone; 74/71 stand; 80/82 kneel). Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/ Highland, N.Y.) finished a mere 12 points behind Crocco with a score of 486 (87/85 prone; 77/76 stand; 76/80 kneel). Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) and Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, N.J.) rounded out the Devils four shooters with scores of 474 (83/90 prone; 65/69 stand; 86/81 kneel) and 461 (88/88 stand; 69/70 kneel).

Abigail Hine led Mass Maritime with a score of 497, followed by Michael Telleck (484); William Campbell (455) and Zachary White (424).

Cavalieri led the way for the Devils in air rifle with a score of 529 (93, 85, 85, 89, 87, 90). Shumard also broke the 500-point mark with a score of 506 (85, 87, 90, 80, 90, 74). Grimaldi and Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, Del.) rounded out the Devils top four with scores of 486 (84, 75, 83, 85, 82, 77) and 456 (77, 75, 78, 78, 73, 75).

Campbell led the Buccaneers with an air rifle score of 531, followed by Telleck (523); Hine (516) and White (370).

In only their second year of competition, the USP women’s team has now captured three MAC titles in three attempts.

“When you consider how young our team is, and less than half of both the women’s and mixed teams have shot in tournament competition, it is great that we came out with two championships.” said Head Coach Paul Klimitas. “It was a nice way to end the season.”

The USP mixed team, trying to win their first MAC title since 2005, took on a hot Penn State team that had three individuals shoot personal bests as the Devils fell 2165-2042 in air rifle.

Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, N.J.) led the Devils with a score of 565 (93, 92, 92, 98, 96, 94). Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/ Downingtown, Pa.) also broke the 500-point mark with a score of 510 (84, 84, 92, 86, 82, 83, 83). Rounding out the Devils top four were Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, N.J.) and Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, N.Y.). Novin shot 495 (78, 87, 85, 83, 78, 84), and earned the nickname “quickdraw” for getting his final 20 shots off in just 10 minutes. “I’ve never seen this before”, said Klimitas jokingly. “And I don’t think I ever want to see it again.” Goess scored 472 (74, 76, 76, 83, 83, 80). Ray Janowski (Fr., Toms River HS North/ Lakewood, N.J.) shot as an individual and turned in a score of 429 (80, 68, 74, 79, 76, 81).

Albert Rogers led the Nittany Lions with a score of 560. Jason Allshouse followed with a score of 550 and Ryan Guffey (531) and Clinton Ford (524) rounded out the scorers for the victors. The much-improved Nittany Lion squad has benefited from the experience and knowledge of their assistant coach, John Tomsho, a 1998 graduate of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

With the completion of the MAC Championships, the USP mixed and women’s rifle teams have concluded their seasons. The USP mixed team finished 13-12 in shoulder-to-shoulder matches in smallbore and 9-14 in air rifle. The women’s team finished 5-19 in smallbore and 6-15 in air rifle. Coach Klimitas, on completing his 31st season at the helm of the rifle program said, “After all this time coaching, I still find coaching the rifle teams to be fun and enjoy doing so.”

Devils Conclude Second Week of Sectionals (2/12/07)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed rifle team shot their NCAA qualifier match on Friday against Army at the Colonel William Shea Rifle range as part of the second week of the NRA Collegiate Sectionals.

The Cadets defeated the Devils in both guns, outscoring the Devils 2313-2074 in smallbore and 2343-2082 in air rifle. In addition, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and SUNY Maritime also shot at USP over the weekend.

USP's air rifle sectional score from last week stood against the visiting schools over the weekend as the Devils mixed team defeated IUP 2170-1301, SUNY Maritime, 2170-1776 and the USP women's team 2170-2003. The mixed team's smallbore score topped IUP, 2082-1299 and the USP women 2082-1933. Princeton defeated the mixed team in smallbore 2103-2082.

The women's team's air rifle score also was better than IUP, 2003-1301 and SUNY Maritime, 2003-1776. The women's team lost to Princeton in smallbore, 2103-1933 but defeated IUP 1933-1299.

With the conclusion of the sectionals, the USP mixed team is now 13-12 in shoulder-to-shoulder matches in smallbore and 9-13 in air rifle. The women's team is 4-19 in smallbore and 5-15 in air rifle.

In the NCAA qualifier match, the Devils were again led by Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, N.J.) in both guns. Bauer shot a 567 in smallbore (98/99 prone; 92/87 stand; 94/97 kneel) and a 570 in air rifle (97, 95, 96, 93, 96, 93). Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, N.Y.) was the next high shooter for USP in smallbore, firing a 511 (91/91 prone; 77/80 stand; 87/85 kneel). Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, N.J.) finished two points behind Goess with a score of 509 (95/93 prone; 79/72 stand; 85/85 kneel). Michael Hedge (Fr., New Egypt HS/Port Deposit, Md.) rounded out the Devils top four declared scorers with a 487 in smallbore (91/93 prone; 72/71 stand; 74/86 kneel).

In air rifle, Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, Pa.) was the Devils second high scorer in the match, shooting 512 (81, 88, 83, 81, 86, 93). Goess was 10 points behind Anthony with a score of 502 (76, 85, 87, 86, 85, 83). Novin rounded out the Devils top four declared shooters with a score of 498 (81, 74, 78, 90, 86, 89).

Army was paced by Chris Abalo in smallbore (585) and Brian Kern and Abalo in air rifle (590 and 589 respectively). In smallbore, Mike Jablonski, (578), Dave Amiot (577) and Kern (573) rounded out the Cadets scorers. Amiot and John Fiddes rounded of the top four shooters in air rifle for the Cadets with scores of 585 and 579.

The USP women's team has qualified for the MAC Championships in the Marksman Division for both smallbore and air rifle. The mixed team awaits the results of the final two weeks of MAC competition to determine if they qualify for the championships, which will be held at the United State Naval Academy on March 3, 2007.

Strong Showing for Devils at Sectionals (2/5/07)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed and women's rifle team made a strong showing at the NRA Collegiate Sectionals over the weekend at the Colonel William Shea Rifle Range on USP's campus. The mixed team earned two wins apiece in both guns while the women's team earned a win in smallbore.

The mixed team shot a season-high 2170 in air rifle, defeating, Penn State University (2136) and John Jay College (2127). In smallbore, the mixed team shot 2082 to defeat John Jay (1960) and Loyola College (Md.) (1908). Penn State narrowly outshot the Devils with a score of 2113.

The women's team shot a season-high 1933 in smallbore, defeating Loyola (1908) while losing to Penn State (2113) and John Jay (1960). The women's team also lost to both Penn State (2136) and John Jay (2127) in air rifle, shooting 2003.

The mixed team is now 11-10 in smallbore and 6-12 in air rifle, while the women's team is 2-17 in smallbore and 2-14 in air rifle.

Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, N.J.) was the top shooter amongst the 26 athletes competing in smallbore and the 27 competing in air rifle. Bauer shot 579 (98/97 prone; 94/95 stand; 98/97 kneel) in smallbore and a season-high 583 (98, 98, 99, 96, 98, 94) in air rifle. Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, N.Y.) also broke the 500-point mark for the mixed team in smallbore shooting 507 (94, 85 prone; 87/79 stand; 76/86 kneel). In air rifle, Goess shot 534 (85, 92, 90, 89, 89, 89).

Rounding out the Devils top four declared shooters in smallbore were Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, N.J.) and Michael Hedge (Fr., New Egypt HS/Port Deposit, Md.). Novin shot 500 (94/95 prone; 81/79 stand; 83/68 kneel) while Hedge shot 496 (89/92 prone; 69/73 stand; 82/91 kneel). Novin and Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, Pa.) rounded out the mixed team's top four in air rifle. Novin shot 530 (89, 89, 90, 90, 86, 88) while Anthony shot 523 (91, 89, 88, 80, 83, 92).

The women's team was led by Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, N.Y.). Cavalieri shot 502 (89/89 prone; 82/86 stand; 81/75 kneel) in smallbore and 545 (97, 89, 91, 91, 89, 88) in air rifle. Her 545 was one point shy on her career high of 546 set earlier this year. Brittany Crocco (Sr., Annville-Cleona HS/Annville, Pa.) was right behind Cavalieri in smallbore, shooting 496 (94/89 prone; 75/70 stand; 87/81 kneel).

Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, N.J.) and Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) rounded out the Devils top four declared shooters in smallbore. Shumard shot 481 (92/95 prone; 68/78 stand; 77/71 kneel) while Grimaldi shot 454 (91/82 prone; 73/59 stand; 76/73 kneel).

Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, Del.) was second high shooter for the women's team in air rifle, followed by Grimaldi and Shumard. Bubacz shot 492 (84, 77, 89, 83, 78, 81). Grimaldi shot 488 (78, 81, 81, 81, 85, 82) and Shumard shot 478 (79, 79, 76, 90, 79, 75).

The sectionals continue this weekend at the Colonel William Shea Rifle range with Army, Princeton, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and SUNY-Maritime coming in as participants.

Rifle Teams Fall to Navy (1/29/07)

In two separate matches, the United States Naval Academy defeated both the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed rifle and women's rifle teams Friday and Saturday at the Colonel William Shea Rifle Range on USP's campus.

On Friday, the women's rifle team lost in smallbore, 2286-1918 and in air rifle 2348-1947. Saturday, the mixed team lost in smallbore, 2303-2066 and air rifle 2330-2113. The mixed team is now 9-9 in smallbore and 4-12 in air rifle. The women's team is 1-15 in smallbore and 2-12 in air rifle.

In Friday's match, Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) led the USP women in both guns, firing a score of 513 (95/89 prone; 77/78 stand; 83/91 kneel) in smallbore and a 533 (90, 89, 85, 87, 90, 92) in air rifle. Brittany Crocco (Sr., Annville-Cleona HS/Annville, PA) shot 505 (93/95 prone; 75/85 stand; 80/77 kneel) in smallbore and 480 (80, 82, 84, 81, 74, 79) in air rifle.

Rounding out the Devils top four smallbore scorers were Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ) and Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY). Shumard shot 453 (88/89 prone; 79/70 stand; 63/64 kneel) while Grimaldi shot 447 (84/89 prone; 61/64 stand; 81/68 kneel). Shumard and Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) rounded out USP's top four declared scorers in air rifle. Bubacz shot 470 (79, 78, 81, 74, 80, 78) while Shumard scored 464 (76, 68, 82, 70, 79, 89)

Chris Schneider led the Midshipmen in smallbore with a score of 580, followed by Sarah Bergman's smallbore score of 570. Alex Karacsonyi and Josh Albright rounder out Navy's top four declared scorers with scores of 570 and 567 respectively. Lisa Kunzelman led Navy's air rifle team with a score of 594, followed by Karacsonyi's 588. Bergman and Albright rounded out the Mids four declared scorers with identical scores of 583.

On Saturday, it was the mixed team's turn at the range as Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ) led the Devils in both guns with scores of 576 (97/95 prone; 94/94 stand; 97/99 kneel) in smallbore and 572 (95, 94, 97, 97, 93, 96) in air rifle. Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) and Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) both broke the 500-point mark in smallbore with identical scores of 501. Goess fired cards of 89/89 prone; 78/78 stand; and 83/83 kneel while Novin turned in cards of 96/93 prone; 70/77 stand; and 79/86 kneel. Michael Hedge (Fr., New Egypt HS/Port Deposit, MD) rounded out the Devils top four declared smallbore scorers with a score of 488 (95/91 prone; 61/77 stand; 84/80 kneel).

All four of USP's declared scorers in air rifle broke the 500-point mark, led by Bauer's 572. Goess shot 532 (91, 81, 90, 89, 92, 89) while Novin shot 508 (86, 93, 84, 83, 78, 84). Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) rounded out the scoring with a 501 (92, 80, 85, 80, 86, 78).

Karacsonyi led the Midshipmen in smallbore with a score of 579. Navy's three other declared shooters were right behind him as Albright shot 576, Schneider 575 and Bergman 573. As she did on Friday, Kunzelman led the Navy air rifle scoring with a score of 592. Albright and Berman shot identical 583 scores while Karacsonyi shooting a 572.

The Devils will be hosting the N.R.A. Collegiate Sectionals over the next two weekends, with Penn State University, Loyola College (Md.) and John Jay college coming in to shoot this weekend.

Devils Score a Victory over Greyhounds (1/20/07)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed and women's rifle teams were back in action today, taking on Loyola College (Maryland) in a smallbore match at the Colonel William Shea Rifle Range on USP's campus, with the mixed team coming away with a solid victory, 2089-1911 and the women's team dropping a close contest, 1911-1878.

The mixed team improves to 9-8 overall in smallbore competition while the women's team falls to 1-14.

Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ) led the way for the Devils with the high score of the afternoon, 575. Bauer fired cards of 98/97 prone; 93/92 stand and 97/98 kneel. Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) also shot well on the afternoon, scoring 523 with cards of 95/91 prone; 81/86 stand; 86/94 kneel. Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) rounded out the Devils top four declared shooters with scores of 507 and 484 respectively. Novin fired cards of 86/91 prone; 78/78 stand and 85/89 kneel while Hirsh had cards of 92/91 prone; 61/63 stand and 86/91 kneel.

Henry Field led Loyola with a score of 534, follwed by Steve Pravetz (497); Joe Pellicano (493) and Nicole Jean (387).

On the women's side, Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) was the Devils high shooter with a score of 523 (94/93 prone; 80/83 stand; 89/84 kneel). Brittany Crocco (Sr., Annville-Cleona HS/Annville, PA) was close behind her, shooting 487 (90/93 prone; 66/77 stand; 69/92 kneel). Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ) and Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) rounded out the Devils top four shooters. Shumard shot 459 (87/88 prone; 73/70 stand; 72/69 kneel) while Grimaldi shot 409 (81/93 prone; 41/38 stand; 76/80 kneel).

The Devils will host the United State Naval Academy next weekend with the women shooting on Friday , January 26, 2007 and the mixed team shooting Saturday, January 27, 2007. "We're looking forward to hosting Navy and the the Collegiate NRA Sectionals in February, "adds Head Coach Paul Klimitas.

Devils Compete Against National Champions (1/19/07)

The defending NCAA Rifle Champions, University of Alaska-Fairbanks came to Philadelphia to take on the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia at the Colonel William Shea rifle range yesterday. The Nanooks came away with victories in both guns.

UAF outshot the Devils, 2316-2025 in smallbore and 2357-2102 in air rifle. The USP mixed team's overall record in now 8-8 in smallbore and 4-11 in air rifle.

"In rifle we only get 13 separate dates of competition for matches," said USP Head Coach Paul Klimitas. "Alaska is a team that can shoot against anybody they want to and they chose to shoot against us. This speaks volumes for our program."

In smallbore competition, the Devils were led by Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ). Bauer fired cards of 98/98 prone; 92/98 stand; and 91/94 kneel for a total of 561. Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) also broke the 500-point mark, shooting cards of 93/92 prone; 72/76 stand; and 83/86 kneel for a total of 502.

Rounding out the Devils top four declared shooters were Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ). Novin shot 488 (91/89 prone; 77/79 stand; 77/75 kneel) while Hirsh shot 474 (91/88 prone; 50/73 stand; 87/85 kneel).

Matthias Dierolf and Matthew Rollings led the Nanooks with identical scores of 580. Christian Lejon and Patrik Sartz had scores of 579 and 577 respectively.

In air rifle, Bauer led the Devils with a score of 577 (95, 95, 94, 98, 99, 96). Novin and Goess also broke the 500-point mark. Novin shot 523 (88, 89, 84, 84, 90, 88) while Goess shot 516 (87, 88, 85, 84, 91, 81). Hirsh rounded out the Devils top four with a score of 486 (75, 84, 82, 84, 84, 77).

Dierolf, a fifth place finisher at last year's national championships led UAF with a score of 594. Sartz shot 590 while Kim Harris shot 589. Becky Hershberger rounded out their top four declared shooters with a score of 584.

"This was a tremendous opportunity for our program, getting to shoot against the defending national champions, "adds Klimitas. "I will say that Alaska's shooters showed tremendous intensity on the firing line but also showed great sportsmanship off the line."

The Devils return to action on Saturday, January 20, 2007 when they host Loyola College of Maryland.

Devils Fall to Akron (11/13/06)

The nationally ranked Akron University (#11) rifle team zipped into town on Saturday and swept both guns from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed rifle team, winning at smallbore, 2267-2118 and air rifle 2271-2117.

The Devils also shot against John Jay College, defeating the Bloodhounds in smallbore, 2118-2091 while narrowly losing in air rifle 2126-2117.

The USP women's team was also in action, but was swept by both teams in both guns. The women's team shot 1786 in smallbore and 1957 in air rifle.

The USP mixed rifle team's record now stands at 7-5 in smallbore and 3-8 in air rifle. The women's team record is now 1-11 in smallbore and 2-9 in air rifle.

Leading the way in both guns for the mixed team was Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ). Bauer shot a 562 (97/96 prone; 89/94 stand; 92/94 kneel) in smallbore and a 579 (98, 99, 95, 96, 96, 96) in air rifle. Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ), Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) and Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) rounded out the Devils top four scorers in both guns. Novin shot a 525 (97/96 prone; 75/75 stand; 90/92 kneel) in smallbore and a 516 (82, 87, 87, 87, 91, 92) in air rifle. Goess fired cards of 93/85 prone; 82/90 stand; and 89/82 kneel for a total smallbore score of 521. Hannah also shot a 517 (90, 85, 87, 85, 83, 87) in air rifle. Hirsh had scores of 510 (92/93 prone; 68/83 stand; 88/86 kneel) in smallbore and 505 (80, 79, 90, 84, 85, 87) in air rifle.

Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) again led the USP women's team in both guns. Cavalieri fired a 508 (89/91 prone; 78/84 stand; 84/82 kneel) in smallbore and a 525 (85, 84, 90, 84, 93, 89) in air rifle. Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) was the Devils second-high shooter in air rifle with a score of 481 (84, 84, 77, 81, 79, 76). Grimaldi also shot a 447 in smallbore (84/88 prone; 67/58 stand; 74, 76 kneel).

Rounding out the women's team's top four shooters in smallbore were Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ) and Katie Kane (Fr., Lancaster Catholic HS/Elizabethtown, PA). Shumard shot a 454 (90/95 prone; 63/61 stand; 77/68 kneel), while Kane shot a 377 (92/86 prone; 36/50 stand; 60/53 kneel). Shumard and Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) rounded out the women's teams's top four shooters in air rifle. Shumard shot a 473 (74, 80, 80, 74, 86, 79) while Bubacz shot a 478 (82, 87, 77, 88, 76, 68).

The Devils return to action next weekend when they travel to West Point, New York to take on a pair of nationally ranked teams, the #3-ranked Cadets from the United States Military Academy (Army) and the #6-ranked Texas Christian University on November 18, 2006.

Shooters Compete at VMI (11/6/06)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed rifle team came away with two smallbore victories on Saturday at Kilbourne Hall on the campus of Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, defeating John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the VMI Mixed Team.

The USP mixed team also lost to the VMI first team and dropped two of three in air rifle. USP women's team also dropped two of three in air rifle and was swept in smallbore competition.

In smallbore, the Devils mixed team had a final score of 2054, defeating John Jay (2011) and the VMI mixed team(1966), while losing to VMI's first team (2214). The USP women's team final smallbore score was 1750, losing to VMI (2214), VMI Mixed (1966) and John Jay (2011).

In air rifle, the USP mixed team had a score of 2057, losing to VMI (2220) and John Jay (2125) while defeating the VMI mixed team (1819). The USP women's team had a score of 1919, defeating the VMI mixed team (1819) while losing to John Jay (2125) and VMI's first team (2220).

USP's mixed team is now 6-4 in smallbore and 3-6 in air rifle. The women's team is now 1-9 in smallbore and 2-7 in air rifle.

Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ) again led the Devils' mixed team in both smallbore and air rifle. Bauer shot a 548 (95/97 prone; 86/88 stand; 90/92 kneel) in smallbore and a 572 (95, 94, 96, 99, 94, 94) in air rifle. Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) was USP's second high shooter in both guns with a score of 523 (94/93 prone; 82/82 stand; 87/85 kneel) in smallbore and 535 (91, 86, 90, 87, 91, 90) in air rifle.

Rounding out the mixed team's top four declared shooters in smallbore were Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ). Novin shot a 509 (93/89 prone; 76/79 stand; 82/90 kneel) while Hirsh shot a 474 (90/88 prone; 57/69 stand; 87/83 kneel).

Hirsh and Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, PA) rounded out the mixed team's top four declared shooterS in air rifle, with Anthony shooting a 481 (79, 84, 74, 77, 86, 81) and Hirsh firing a 469 (79, 82, 79, 79, 78, 72).

For the USP women's team, Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) led the Devils in both guns, shooting a 509 (95/89 prone; 79/78 stand; 87/81 kneel) in smallbore and a 515 (87, 86, 86, 87, 81, 88) in air rifle. Katie Kane (Fr., Lancaster Catholic HS/Elizabethtown, PA) was the Devils' second high declared scorer in smallbore with a score of 427 (77/90 prone; 61/51 stand; 64/84 kneel). Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ) followed with a score of 415 (80/83 prone; 64/66 stand; 58/64 kneel) and Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) rounded out the Devils four declared scorers in smallbore with a score of 399 (80/80 prone; 66/37 stand; 64/72 kneel).

Shumard, Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) and Grimaldi rounded out the Devils top four declared scorers in air rifle. Shumard shot a 491 (90, 84, 81, 79, 75, 82) while Bubacz shot a 486 (73, 79, 76, 88, 85, 83). Grimaldi shot a 427 (78, 56, 81, 65, 76, 71).

The Devils return home to take on the University of Akron and John Jay on November 11, 2006 at the Colonel William Shea Rifle Range.

Devils Split with John Jay (10/30/06)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed and women's rifle teams hosted John Jay College of Criminal Justice on Saturday at the Colonel William Shea Rifle Range, with the mixed team earning a split and the women's team dropping both guns to the Bloodhounds.

The mixed team outshot John Jay in smallbore 2092-2025 but lost in air rifle, 2154-2095. The women's team lost both guns, falling 2025-1826 in smallbore and 2154-1985 in air rifle.

USP's mixed team is now 4-3 smallbore and 2-4 in air rifle. The women's team is now 1-6 in smallbore and 1-5 in air rifle.

Leading the way for the Devils mixed team was Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ). Bauer fired cards of 97/99 prone; 93/95 stand; and 93/97 kneel for a total of 574. Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) also broke the 500 mark, shooting 528 and 506 respectively. Novin fired cards of 95/97 prone; 85/81 stand; and 84/86 kneel while Goess recorded scores of 91/93 prone; 76/85 stand; and 81/80 kneel. Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) rounded out the Devils top four with a score of 484 (96/94 prone; 58/60 stand; 85/91 kneel).

The women's team were led by Courtney Cavalieri's (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) score of 488 (86/92 prone; 79/76 stand; 76/79 kneel). Brittany Crocco (Sr., Annville-Cleona HS/Annville, PA) was the second high shooter for the USP women with a score of 465 (90/87 prone; 73/63 stand; 74/78 kneel). Rounding out the Devils top four were Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) and Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ). Grimaldi shot 448 (87/86 prone; 61/70 stand; 76/68 kneel) while Shumard shot 425 (85/84 prone; 53/65 stand; 60/78 kneel).

Switching to air rifle, all four declared scorers for the mixed team reached to 500-point mark, led by Bauer's 571 (94, 93, 94, 99, 97, 94). Goess followed Bauer with a score of 517 (83, 91, 87, 87, 81, 88). Hirsh and Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, PA) rounded out the Devils declared scorers with 507 (80, 89, 81, 86, 86, 85) and 500 (83, 83, 83, 85, 89, 77) respectively.

On the women's team, the Devils got career-high scores from Cavalieri and Shumard. Cavalieri shot a 530 (86, 85, 93, 81, 93, 92) while Shumard shot a 518 (85, 81, 89, 89, 88, 86). Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) and Grimaldi rounded out the Devils top four with scores of 470 (81, 82, 81, 73, 81, 72) and 467 (83, 82, 67, 79, 79, 77) respectively.

The Devils will take to the road this weekend, traveling south to Lexington, Virginia to take on the Keydets of Virginia Military Institute on Saturday, November 4, 2006.

Shooters Split at M.I.T. (10/16/06)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia mixed and women's rifle teams traveled north to Cambridge, Massachusetts to take on Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference rivals Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Maritime Academy this past Saturday, with the mixed team coming away with a split and the women's team earning an air rifle win over Mass Maritime.

The USP mixed team lost both guns to MIT, being outshot in smallbore, 2116-1998 and air rifle 2181-2069; split with Wentworth, losing in smallbore 2021-1998 while winning the air rifle 2069-1962; and winning both guns against Mass Maritime, 1998-1806 in smallbore and 2069-1815 in air rifle.

The women's team was outshot by all three teams in the match, falling to MIT 2116-1670, Wentworth, 2021-1670 and Mass Maritime, 1806-1670. USP did pick up their first air rifle win of the season against Mass Maritime, 1968-1815 while losing to MIT, 2181-1915 and Wentworth, 1982-1968.

USP's mixed team now sports a record of 3-3 smallbore and 2-3 in air rifle. The women's team is now 1-5 in smallbore and 1-4 in air rifle.

Leading the way in smallbore for the mixed team was Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ). Bauer shot cards of 95/96 prone; 94/89 stand; 96/92 kneel for a total of 562. Her 562 was the second highest smallbore total in the match, eclipsed only by MIT's Emily Houston (565). Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) was second high shooter for USP with a score of 497 (88/81 prone; 80/78 stand; 88/82 kneel).

Rounding out the mixed team's top four shooters were Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, PA). Novin shot a 482 (92/86 prone; 65/77 stand; 76/86 kneel) while Anthony shot a 457 (94/90 prone; 64/66 stand; 78/65 kneel).

On the women's team, Brittany Crocco (Sr., Annville-Cleona HS/Annville, PA) , competing in her first match of the season, led the team with a smallbore score of 479 (86/86 prone;74/82 stand; 79/72 kneel). Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ) was right behind her with a career-high score of 452 (87/80 prone; 94/69 stand; 58/64 kneel).

Rounding out the women's team's top four smallbore shooters were Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) and Katie Kane (Fr., Lancaster Catholic HS/Elizabethtown, PA). Grimaldi shot a 419 (78/84 prone; 62/61 stand; 56/78 kneel) while Kane shot a 320 (77/71 prone; 49/30 stand; 53/40 kneel)

In air rifle, where the mixed team won against two of the three schools, Bauer again paced the Devils, shooting a 575 (96, 98, 97, 93, 94, 97). MIT's Houston was also the high air rifle shooter with a score of 576. Goess and Anthony also shot 500 or better in air rifle, recording scores of 521 (83,85, 91, 91, 82, 89) and 500 (82, 83, 84, 83, 85, 83) respectively.

Novin rounded out the Devils top four declared shooters in air rifle with a score of 473 (82, 84, 78, 77, 81, 71). USP also received career high performances from Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) and Brian Gottshall (Sr., Spring-Ford HS/Royersford, PA). Hirsh shot a 474 (74, 76, 79, 82, 84, 79) while Gottshall shot a 461 (73, 73, 77, 76, 77, 85).

The women's team also got two career high performances in the match. Grimaldi shot a 495 (84, 83, 78, 85, 82, 83) while Kane shot a 485 (83, 80, 86, 80, 79, 77). Shumard led the Devils with a 500 (79, 85, 85, 80, 87, 84). Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) rounded out the Devils' top four shooters with a score of 488 (81, 78, 78, 83, 85, 83).

The Devils return to action on October 28, 2006 when they face John Jay College of Criminal Justice in an MAC match-up at the Colonel William Shea Rifle Range.

Rifle Teams Fall at Navy (10/9/06)

The United States Naval Academy, pre-season ranked number six in the nation defeated both the mixed and the women's rifle teams from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia in a match Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland.

The USP mixed rifle team lost in smallbore 2272-2038 and air rifle 2303-2109 while the women's team fell 2272-1568 in smallbore and 2303-1834 in air rifle. The mixed rifle team is now 2-1 in smallbore and 0-2 in air rifle. The women's team fell to 1-2 in smallbore and 0-2 in air rifle.

Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ) led the USP mixed team in smallbore, firing cards of 99/99 prone; 96/93 stand; and 96/96 kneel for a total of 579. Bauer was just two points behind Navy's Chris Schneider who shot a 581 and was high smallbore shooter of the match.

Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) was the only other USP shooter to break the 500 mark in smallbore with a score of 509 (93/91 prone; 77/85 stand; 86/87 kneel). Rounding out the Devils top four on the mixed rifle team were Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) and Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, PA). Novin fired cards of 98/94 prone; 69/76 stand; and 82/78 kneel for a total of 497. Anthony had cards of 75/91 prone; 63/69 stand; and 80/75 kneel for a total of 453.

On the women's team, the Devils got career-highs from two of their four shooters. Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) shot a 427 (83/80 prone; 67/51 stand; 72/74 kneel) to pace the women's squad while Katie Kane (Fr., Lancaster Catholic HS/Elizabethtown, PA) recorded a score of 401 (82/82 prone; 76/46 stand; 54/61 kneel).

Rounding out the top four smallbore scorers on the women's team were Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) and Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ). Grimaldi shot a 408 (88/82 prone; 46/54 stand; 75/63 kneel) while Shumard turned in a score of 332 (63/58 prone; 56/49 stand; 50/56 kneel).

Switching over to air rifle, the mixed team was again led by Bauer with a score of 569 (92, 96, 97, 95, 92, 97). Goess was second high shooter for the mixed team with a score of 527 (91, 86, 90, 81, 90, 89). Anthony and Novin rounded out the Devils top four declared shooters. Anthony turned in a career-high mark of 515 (84, 83, 83, 92, 81, 92) while Novin shot a 498 (85, 85, 85, 80, 79, 84).

The Devils also got a career high performance from Michael Hedge (Fr., New Egypt HS/Port Deposit, MD) with a score of 460 (78, 76, 79, 67, 81, 79) as well as a solid debut from Glen Hirsh (Fr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ) with a 459 (71, 75, 81, 73, 79, 80).

The top two air rifle shooters on the women's team also recorded career highs. Shumard shot a 505 (72, 85, 86, 84, 93, 85) and Grimaldi shot a 494 (82, 75, 89, 83, 89, 76). Katie Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) and Cavalieri rounded out the Devils top four declared shooters. Bubacz fired cards of 71, 74, 82, 82, 83 and 81 for a score of 473 while Cavalieri shot a 362 (52, 50, 48, 54, 76, 82).

"Obviously both teams' air rifle scores are well ahead of smallbore," said USP Head coach Paul Klimitas. "There's work to be done on both guns."

"Both teams are very young- maybe as young as I've ever coached. There is enormous potential and we will improve each match."

The Devils will be on the road next weekend when they travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts to take on MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Wentworth Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Shooters Open Season on a Winning Note (10/2/06)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia varsity rifle teams kicked off their 2006-07 campaign with a home match last Friday and Saturday against Valley Forge Military College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, with the mixed rifle team recording smallbore wins against both opponents.

The Devils began their season at home for the just the second time in 14 years. The mixed rifle team recorded a 2061-2056 smallbore win over John Jay and a 2061-1517 smallbore win over Valley Forge. The mixed team lost to John Jay in air rifle 2156-2074.

The USP women's rifle team also saw action over the weekend, defeating Valley Forge in smallbore, 1578-1517 and losing to John Jay in both smallbore (2056-1578) and air rifle (2156-1864).

The 2006-2007 season is the Devils' 31st consecutive season with coach Paul Klimitas as the head coach. Coach K. is now tied with former King's College rifle coach Bill Kane (1946-1977) as the all-time college coaching leader in longevity.

Leading the way for the mixed rifle team was Michelle Bauer (Jr., Triton HS/ Blackwood, NJ). The All-MAC shooter was top gun in both smallbore and air rifle. In smallbore, Bauer turned in cards of 100 and 99 prone; 86 and 91 standing and 98, and 99 kneeling for a total of 573. In air rifle Bauer had cards of 90, 95, 92, 93, 96 and 95 for a total of 561.

Alex Novin (So., Washington Township HS/Sewell, NJ) recorded a score of 510 (96/92 prone; 75/76 stand; 84/87 kneel) in smallbore and a career high 502 (89, 85, 84, 80, 77, 87) in air rifle. Hannah Goess (Fr., Massapequa HS/ Massapequa, NY) also fired a career high in air rifle with a score of 537 (85, 90, 90, 91, 89, 92) to go along with her score of 495 (91/92 prone; 68/77 stand; 85/82 kneel) in smallbore. Rounding out the Devils top four declared shooters was Vincent Anthony (So., Bishop Shanahan HS/Downingtown, PA). Anthony turned in career high performances on both guns, firing a 483 (87/92 prone; 68/64 stand; 91/81 kneel) in smallbore and a 474 (78, 81, 76, 79, 82, 78) in air rifle.

Two other shooters competed in their first match for the Devils. Ray Janowski (Fr., Toms River HS North/Lakewood, NJ) recorded scores of 442 smallbore and 423 in air rifle while Michael Hedge (Fr., New Egypt HS/Port Deposit, MD) had scores of 380 smallbore and 422 in air rifle.

On the women's side, Danielle Grimaldi (So., Staten Island Tech HS/Staten Island, NY) paced the Devils in smallbore with a score of 424 (82/79 prone; 60/66 stand; 61/66 kneel). Kathryn Bubacz (So., Padua Academy/New Castle, DE) paced the Devils in air rifle with a score of 475 (80, 82, 76, 78, 80, 79).

USP's other declared shooters on the women's team were competing in their first collegiate match. Elisha Shumard (Fr., Toms River HS North/Toms River, NJ) (shot a 402 (82/83 prone; 47/58 stand; 62/70 kneel) in smallbore and a 472 (72, 74, 81, 83, 85, 77) in air rifle. Courtney Cavalieri (Fr., Highland HS/Highland, NY) scored 386 (81/76 prone; 55/45 stand; 60/69 kneel)in smallbore and 458 (72, 81, 79, 76, 82, 78) in air rifle while Katie Kane (Fr., Lancaster Catholic HS/Elizabethtown, PA) recorded scores of 366 (75/80 prone; 53/50 stand; 60/48 kneel) in smallbore and 468 (78, 75, 74, 77, 82, 73) in air rifle.

The mixed rifle team is now 2-0 in smallbore and 0-1 in air rifle. The women's team is 1-1 in smallbore and 0-1 in air rifle.

The Devils will travel to Annapolis on Saturday, October 7, 2006, where they will take on the United States Naval Academy. Navy, pre-season ranked number six nationally is one of eight top 20 teams featured on the USP rifle schedule this season. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology (20); Coast Guard (18); Virginia Military Institute (15); Akron (11); Texas Christian (9); Army (3); and Alaska Fairbanks (1))