Road To The Nationals: Women of USPSA Poll…Ladies First

Thanks to the Women of USPSA we have answers to those nagging questions about who will win this year’s Smith & Wesson USPSA National Handgun Championships. Well, unscientific answers based on poll results, but answers none-the-less. So it’s only appropriate that we look at the results starting with the ladies first.

The women’s Open division match will be the most hotly contested of all the women’s events, due in part the large number of women competing, but also due to the relative parity among the top shooters.

Jessie Abbate, who is on the top of her game, is favored to win. But getting to the winner’s circle in this match means outshooting the 2009 winner Megan Francisco, the 2008 champ Rebecca Jones, the 2007 top gun Athena Lee and the 2006 winner Kay Miculek. Throw in Lisa Munson, for whom winning a national title is not a new concept, Sarah Irish, the youngest woman Master shooter, and a host of others and Jessie’s no lock to win.

The Limited-10 match is looking like a possible repeat of 2009 when Glock’s Randi Rogers won the title. She’s the clear favorite with over 60% picking her to win. More than 30% of those voting picked Kippi Leatham to win while a handful are betting on the up and coming junior Tori Nonaka.

In the Limited match Jessie Abbate is favored to win. A victory this year would give Jessie her third straight, and her first since leaving Team Glock. Cameron Custom’s Lisa Munson, who won in 2007 and 2006, has nearly 20% predicting she’ll win. Also in the match, and fresh off their wins in the MultiGun Nationals, are Maggie Reese and Tasha Hanish. This could be a much tighter match than the poll indicates.

Randi Rogers is favored to Glock her way to the front once again in Production. She previsouly won the title in 2008. Kippi, Kay, Tori and Carrie Jamrogowicz are also competing in Production, but with Randi ranked a Master in the division – and this being her wheelhouse – she’s clearly the one to beat.

While the Revolver match doesn’t bask in the limelight, Limited and Production pull more shooters, this event might be not just the most important event in the women’s categories, but the most important of all the matches because of what it means for one particular shooter. Team Smith & Wesson’s captain Julie Golob is the clear favorite to win, but the real story is that a win here for Julie would make her the first USPSA shooter – male or female – to win a national title in all six handgun divisions. You really cannot overstate how difficult a feat this is, and because of this it really is the match to follow.