Alana Townsend, a junior in majoring in agribusiness and business administration from Kalispell, Montana, represented the USA in women’s air pistol competition in Innsbruck, Austria, and Munich, Germany, from Jan. 22-31. 

In Innsbruck, Townsend placed eighth in the first day’s competition with a score of 373/400 and sixth in the event's second day with a score of 375/400. At Munich, she placed 44th during the first day’s matches with a score of 370/400 and 24th during the second day with a score of 378/400. Top women’s air pistol shooters from 43 countries participated at the matches.

Townsend was selected to represent the country based on her high scores at the USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Matches held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in December.

Townsend also will compete in late March at the National Rifle Association Collegiate Championship Matches to defend her 2014 National Collegiate Open Air Pistol and Women’s Air Pistol Championships. She will be accompanied by 14 fellow NDSU Marksmanship Club members who also qualified either as individuals or teams. The club's faculty adviser is Larry Cihacek, associate professor of soil science.

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