Salisbury, North Carolina — U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Hetherington won the Carry Optics Division of the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s Area 6 Championships May 13 - 14.
The Prescott, Arizona native navigated the 12-stage, 308-round pistol competition in a total of 167.81 seconds, earning 1463.7515 division points (out of a possible 1540 points). Claiming the Area 6 Carry Optics Division Champion title was not a first for Hetherington though. The marksmanship instructor/competitive shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit has claimed this title five other times in his career. However, Hetherington said that this win did include one notable first.
“This was the first Area Match that I have shot the entire match without scoring a delta hit on a target,” said Hetherington. Hits on the targets are scored in terms of A, B, C, D or Miss with an A being closest to the target area center, which receives the most points.
Claiming yet another Area 6 Championships may not have been new to the Soldier, who is on the USAMU Action Shooting Team stationed at Fort Moore, Georgia, but he said it did help him reinforce his mission plan for the season.
“Winning Area 6 gave me the confidence in the training plan that I used leading up to the match and confirmed that I am ready for Nationals in June,” said Hetherington.
Hetherington’s teammates, Spc. Aaron Eddins and Sgt 1st Class John Browning, also competed in the match, both earning 2nd Place in the Open and Limited Divisions, respectively. The three USAMU Soldiers won five of the 12 stages individually as well.
The Area 6 Championships included a total of 394 competitors from across the United States.
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