HILLSDALE, Michigan – Rylan Kissell, a member of the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, competed at Junior Olympics over this past weekend. On May 13-14, he shot two rounds of three position smallbore and two rounds of air rifle. 
 
On day one, the lone-Nanook representative posted a score of 589 in his opening three position match followed by a score of 623.1 in air rifle. His 589 put him in first place in smallbore after day one before he qualified for the final in second place, trailing only 2021 Olympian, Will Shaner of Kentucky. On day two, he led off the day with a score of 627.1 in his second air rifle match. He qualified for the air rifle final and finished in second place, claiming the silver medal. In smallbore, he shot a day two score of 581 before finishing third in the smallbore final, claiming the bronze medal.
  Head coach Will Anti was with Kissell as he shot. He had this to say after his performance, "This match provided a great test and a lot of finals experience for Rylan. He had really strong prep leading into the match and I think he saw a lot of the results of that during the match. Rylan managed the matches really well – he was patient when needed and a bit more aggressive when the opportunities presented themselves. Each final he shoots he looks more comfortable and natural. While we were pleased with the performance, Rylan knows he has even more in the tank which is really exciting as we head into the next season. The large open style venue was very similar to what we will see at future NCAA Championships, so Rylan will definitely have a higher comfort level as we continue to shoot on these style venues."
 
With these finishes at the USA Shooting National Junior Olympic Championships, Rylan has qualified for the USA Shootings Futures Team. 
 
Anti continued on Kissell's performance and the opportunities it'll present in the future, "Rylan was named to the USA Shooting's Futures Team. That's an enormous step forward for him in his long-term aspirations in the sport. It will likely lead to various international competitions and training opportunities."
 
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.