Rifle: Zachary Wells sixth at Junior Men's Nationals
By DOUG GORMANdgorman@newnan.com
Northgate graduate Zachary Wells is out to prove he can still hit the target when it comes to his ability to shoot an air rifle.
The junior shooter for the Army Black Knights finished sixth this week in the Junior Men’s Air Rifle Championships at Fort Benning.
Success on the air rifle range is nothing new for the electrical engineering major at West Point.
Wells has been racking up accolades ever since he joined the Vikings’ rifle team back in high school.
His shooting resume includes recording a pair of state Junior Olympic titles in 2009 and 2010, as well as winning three state titles.
His college career has been just as successful. As a freshman, he ranked among Army’s top shooters, recording a season-high 587 and earning runner-up honors against Columbus State.
This past season, Wells qualified for the NCAA championships helping lead the Black Knights to a fourth-place finish.
At the NCAA Tournament, Wells finished with a score of 585 out of 600 during the 3-by-20 event.
Shooting is a family affair for Wells.
Younger brother Justin currently shoots for the Northgate Vikings.
Earlier this year, both brothers earned a spot at the Junior Olympics competing in the 10-meter air rifle division.
It was his performance at the Junior Olympics that helped Zachary catch the eye of Army coach Ron Wigger three years ago with a 12th-place finish out of 109 shooters.
The Black Knights won a recruiting battle for Zachary over Air Force and the University of Alaska.
Shooting for Army has been a good fit for the future military officer, who has now completed two years at West Point.
Next year, the number of collegiate shooters from Coweta County will increase to four.
Recent East Coweta High graduate Kelsey Moral recently signed a scholarship with Columbus State. She will be reunited with teammates Courtney Duncan and April Dunn.
Dunn recently became the first All-American in the short history of the Columbus State program.
