Wills Takes Junior Limited Title at Smith & Wesson IRC

LOS OSOS, Calif. – Competing in his first International Revolver Championship, 16-year-old Jesse Wills of Midland, Va. found himself atop the leader board when the last shots were fired as he took the Junior Limited division title this weekend in San Luis Obispo, Calif. 

Wills, who is a member of the RangeLog shooting team, outpaced his nearest competitor, Austin Hayes of Morro Bay, Calif., by 13.01 seconds with four stage wins and a final time of 470.34 seconds.

“Jesse really shined in his first appearance at the IRC. He shot a very strong first match and impressed a lot of longtime IRC competitors, so I expect we’ll see Jesse back her next year rising through the ranks,” said Ron Joslin of ICORE.

Hayes, who recently joined the Apex Tactical Specialties shooting team, finished second with two stage wins and a final time of 483.35. Third place went to Aaron Surgi of Webb City, Mo. who shoots for the Secure Firearm Products shooting team. Surgi finished with a final time of 624.76 seconds.

Fourth place went to Molly Smith of Cambria, Calif. who won the Junior Limited title in 2010. Smith, a member of Team Smith & Wesson, was on her way to another winner’s circle appearance with seven stage wins before suffering a time penalty that put her well out of contention. The penalty Smith was assessed was for failing to meet the minimum power factor required for match ammunition.

Elsewhere in division competition, Team Smith & Wesson’s John Bagakis of Livermore, Calif. won the overall Limited division title for the fourth year in a row with a final time of 257.81 seconds. The husband and wife shooting duo of Elliot and Annette Aysen of Thibodaux, La. successfully defended their 2010 wins with Annette claiming the Women’s Limited title for a fourth consecutive year in a time of 368.29, and Elliot taking the Senior Limited title for a third year in row in a time of 303.59. Both are members of the Smith & Wesson shooting team. Richard Koester of La Grange, Calif. claimed the Senior+ Limited title in a time of 359.43 seconds.

Organized by the International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE), and held at Hogue Action Pistol Range at the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association, the 20th Annual Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championship drew more than 230 top revolver shooters, representing 26 states and three foreign nations. Titles were awarded in the Open, Limited or Classic divisions with scoring based on time and accuracy where time penalties are accrued for misses and shots outside the x-ring.

For further information on ICORE and the 20th Annual Smith & Wesson International Revolver Championship, visit www.ICORE.org, follow @ICORE_Shooting on Twitter or find ICORE on Facebook at facebook.com/ICOREshooting.