Hicks Sets Program Record as Rifle has Strong Start to 2022–23 Season

VMI rifle opened its 2022–23 season against No. 2 Texas Christian University and No. 6 United States Naval Academy in strong fashion Sept. 24 in Annapolis, Maryland. The mixed team placed third and women fourth. TCU, the 2022 national champion runner-up, set a new NCAA record for a total score with an aggregate of 4758.

Christopher Hicks ’24 picked up where he left off last season for VMI, setting a new school record in smallbore with a score of 577 and placing 13th in that category. Hicks posted a strong score of 576 in air rifle to finish with an aggregate score of 1153.

The Keydets mixed team posted a score of 2248 in smallbore and 2298 in air rifle to finish just behind Navy’s 4665.

With 576, Ryan Harlow ’25 finished 19th in the individual air rifle category, with Cassidy Dufour ’23 just behind him with a 575, and Michael Annesi ’25 with 559. Annesi finished at No. 20 and Harlow at No. 21 in smallbore, while Katie Grochalski ’24 shot a 573 in air rifle.

The Keydets returned to action Oct. 8, hosting University of North Georgia and The Citadel at Kilbourne Hall for the season home opener. North Georgia posted an aggregate score of 4642 to win.

The VMI mixed team shot a 2233 smallbore and a 2306 air rifle, while the VMI women’s team posted a 2141 and 2277, respectively.

Individually, Hicks bested his season-opening score with a 578 in the air rifle while firing a 567 in the smallbore. Harlow matched his aggregate score of 1145, while Grochalski paced the women’s team with an 1108.

The Keydets will have a little time off before traveling to Georgia Southern Oct. 29.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.