The Marion High School JROTC marksmanship team has earned another victory, this time at the recent Concordia Lutheran SFC Paul E. Miller Memorial Invitational.
Cadet Gwynneth Hamilton, a junior at MHS, won the three position invitational in the Precision category. This was Hamilton’s first ever invitational championship.
“It was so exciting to win,” said the normally reserved Hamilton. “My scores were still not at the level I am working towards. But a win is a win.”
Marion High School rifle marksmanship team members Gwynneth Hamilton, left, and Andersson Guevara take careful aim the SFC Paul E. Miller Memorial Invitational at Concordia Lutheran in February 2025. Hamilton was the overall champion in the Precision category, leading the Giants to first place as well. Guevara was runner-up in two out of the three competition shooting positions: kneeling and standing.
Joining her was teammate Andersson Guevara, also a junior, who claimed runner-up overall and in two of the three positions: kneeling and standing. And the Marion team finished as overall champions of the match.
Cadets fire precision air rifles from three different positions: kneeling, prone (lying flat on the ground), and standing. Each athlete takes 10 shots in each position, and each shot is worth a maximum of 10 points. The sum of points scored in the 30 shots is the athlete's total. The team score comprises the top four scores.
In addition to Hamilton and Guevara, Khamrynn Allen and Conner Wright, both juniors, and Kate Nguyen, freshman, form up the Marion team.
“Going into this event, I was hopeful the team would win. We have qualified as a team at the national level, and I knew if we shot the way we are capable of shooting, we would do well,” said the Giants coach, retired Col. Gary Blagburn, who is also the MHS JROTC Senior Army Instructor.