Cadets of the CCMU took third place at the Joint Service Academy Combat Weapons Competition hosted by Smith & Wesson this past Saturday in Springfield, Mass. The CCMU fielded eight shooters, four of whom were designated as the Scored Team, in their second appearance at the prestigious fourteen year old match. Each of the five academies in attendance designated a four person Scored Team from among their shooters attending the match.

Firing three Glock 34's and one STI 9MM Tactical, the CCMU cadet Scored Team composed of one senior cadet, two sophomore cadets and one freshman, narrowly missed edging the Navy team for second place. The CCMU was led by Senior Cadet Jordan Walker '13 (of Buna, TX), firing his Glock 34 and who shot the third overall individual score in the match with 421.91; Cadet Bryan Bonnette '16 (of Weatherford, TX) 461.38, Cadets Zachary Williams '16 (of Weatherford, TX) 477.04 and Cadet Parker Zaitz '17 (of Willis, TX) 478.94 combined for an overall third place team score of 1,839.27, just 74.62 points behind second place Navy.

For Cadet Walker, who is completing his second full year on the CCMU, this was his final JSACWC as he graduates from Texas A&M on May 10 and will be commissioning into the United States Air Force on the same day, and then proceeding immediately to flight school. The CCMU wishes Cadet Walker Godspeed and a fond Farewell. He will be greatly missed.

The Combat Weapons Team (CWT) from the USMA West Point won the match and CCMU wishes them a hearty Congratulations! CCMU Coach Kevin Jimmerson '89 commented that "The Cadets and Midshipmen, and the Coaches who train and support them, from each of the Academies attending are the finest young men and women this country has to offer and it is a privilege and an honor for CCMU to share the range with them."

CCMU Cadets also shooting the match were: CCMU Commander Trent Kirkpatrick '14, Spring, TX; Cadet Jason Cusack '16 of Anchorage, AK; Cadet Cole Dunson '16 of Tolar, TX; and Cadet John Burton '17 of The Woodlands, TX. Traveling with the team were Cadet Sierra Martin '15 of Conroe, TX; and Cadet Naomi Boyer '16 of Blooming Grove, TX

The CCMU trains and competes in action shooting sports, but it also works to grow participation in the shooting sports at all ages and among both men and women. The CCMU is very grateful to its industry sponsors for their support of this team and its activities both on and off the range. The cadets of the CCMU want to recognize all of the companies large and small who graciously sponsor the team for their continued support and also the team's primary equipment sponsors Kryptek, Blade-tech, STI, Glock and Adams Arms for the cutting edge gear they provide. Please take a moment to visit the Sponsor page on the CCMU web page and Thank these businesses for their support with business of your own.

The CCMU was officially formed in December of 2011, but today's squad represents the latest in over 100 years of history of marksmanship teams competing for the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. The CCMU fields competitors in the action pistol sports, steel pistol sports, 3Gun and international trap and skeet. Team members are drawn exclusively from the 2,300 men and women of the Corps of Cadets who are all undergraduates at Texas A&M. Scholarships and in-state tuition are also available for CCMU cadets. The cadets of the CCMU are supported and partially funded through the generous efforts of the Corps of Cadets Association (http://www.corpsofcadets.org ) a private non-profit group committed to sustaining the 138 year old traditions of the Cadet Corps at Texas A&M. Please contact them to make a tax deductible donation on the teams behalf.

For more information on the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University, visithttp://corps.tamu.edu/. For information on the Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit visi www.cocmu.com or follow the team on Facebook.