Handgun Team opens season

Aiming to shatter records

Trine University’s award-winning Handgun Team practiced at the Angola Conservation Club shooting range Sunday, Sept. 21. Students and instructors pictured are, front, left to right: Professor Craig Laker (faculty adviser ACJA), Pete Carteaux, Lori Huber, Jenifer Boyer, Dustin Eggert, Sara Miles, and Alison Bonham. Middle row: Nick Withers, Corey Cox, Amber Michaels, Jessica Vanderklok, Alexandria DeCaro, Ashley Sichling,Tiffany Malone, Andrew Qualtire, Elizabeth Huff, Zack Ackerman, Greg Hulk, and Lt. Ben Rasey. Back row: Vincent Kessler, Andrew Kidd, Kyle Perkins, Chris Deno, Ashley Williamson, Jacob Bristol, Josh Buchs, Jamie Warner, and Tara Gschwend. Team members not pictured are: Professor John Milliken (faculty adviser ACJA), Carly Naki, Jeffery Willis, Todd Shadley, Amanda Plesivec, Erika Drury, Sgt. Calian Gee, and Andrew Ross.

 

Trine University’s award-winning Handgun Team officially opened its season with a practice at the shooting range at the Angola Conservation Club Sunday, Sept. 21. Team members are part of the Tau Alpha Omicron chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA), and annually bring home prestigious awards from ACJA regional and national competition.

Classroom training took place at the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department first, with certified firearms instructor Lt. Ben Rasey. Students learned the proper stance, holding, loading and unloading, and breakdown of a firearm, in addition to safety measures, from the sheriff’s department veteran.

Then they moved to the shooting range to focus on a variety of skills designed to help the team uphold its tradition of excellence as the year moves toward competition season and the ACJA Region 6 Conference Oct. 10 and 11 in Bloomington, Ill. This year’s theme will be rural policing.

Students will form three-person teams to compete in written, crime scene investigation, physical agility, and firearms competition over the three-day weekend. Seminars on criminal law, police management, corrections, juvenile justice, and ACJA/Lambda Alpha Epsilon bylaws, rules, and history will be given by national experts.

The spoils taken from these competitions fill a display case in Laker’s office. So excellent is the Trine program, Laker earned last year’s national ACJA award as the most outstanding instructor and adviser.

Last year Corey Cox of Angola, Trine’s ACJA TAO chapter president and handgun team captain, earned the university’s first Top Gun award for marksmanship, while the entire team topped all previous records at regional competition.

The practice not only hones shooting skills, but refines the group as a team. “John Milliken and I enjoy getting the students off-campus and learning more about them,” Laker said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be involved in competition.”

Over 30 Trine students participate in Handgun Team. Competing at regional will be Laker, Professor John Milliken, Cox, Zack Ackerman, Tiffany Malone, Jessica Vanderklok, Amber Michaels, Carly Naki, Alison Bonham, Sara Miles, Jeffery Willis, Kyle Perkins, Vincent Kessler, Josh Buchs, and Jamie Warner.