LIMA, Peru – On Thursday, Sept. 30, Rylan Kissell collected the bronze medal in the Junior World Championships for the 10-meter Air Rifle. The freshman from Denver, Colo. was joined by fellow-freshman, Gavin Barnick, however, Barnick did not qualify for the finals. 
 
"We are really pleased with both Rylan and Gavin's performances in the first event of the World Championship. I know they both hit a few hurdles during the match and were able to plot their way through and remain resilient throughout." said head coach Will Anti. 
 
In the qualifying match, Barnick finished the day with a 620.2, placing him in 19^th-place. As for Kissell, he shot a 623.2 and qualified for the finals. In the final, Kissell shot a 228.2 before being eliminated with a third-place finish, giving him the bronze medal. Kissell is back in action today, Friday, Oct. 1, shooting in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event. 
 
"Rylan's performance was enough to advance to the final." said Anti, "In the final, Rylan got off to a strong start and led early on – he was able to hang on til the end, securing a bronze medal. Medaling at a match of this caliber against a field of competitors this strong, is a great accomplishment. Many of the team members woke up early to watch the final live – needless to say, all of us were extremely proud. It's great to see 'Nooks on the podium!"
 
Barnick and Kissell remain in Lima, Peru for the next week as the World Championships finishes up on Oct. 6 before the Nanooks regular-season schedule kicks off on Oct. 15 at home against Ohio State. 
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Twitter or Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.