They make it look so easy.

It isn’t – not even close.

For the sixth year in a row, the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Riflery team won the Connecticut High School State Shoot-Off.

The Titans topped a field of five schools at Blue Trail Range in Wallingford, Connecticut, on Feb. 26, beating the second-place team by seven points with a five-person score of 934 (of 1,000).

“I'm very proud of the team,” first-year Coach Erek Machowski stated. “Their hard work and dedication throughout the season paid off. With over half of them being first-year shooters, what they've accomplished together is commendable.”

“This win resulted from the hard work we have put in all season,” added Julia Choi ’26. “During the match, everyone stayed composed under pressure and executed their shots with precision. Although we were five points behind until the last match, Vivi (Venkat ’25) had an outstanding result, leading us to the championship win.”

Vivi and Julia posted the best scores for the Titans with 194 (of 200) points. Also scoring in the top five were Yuka Okuma ’25 (183), Nikos Kratimenos ’28 (182) and Yejun Lee ’27 (181).

“During the progression of the six-relay match, I knew each team member was shooting at or above their current average, so I had confidence we would do well,” Coach Machowski explained. “It wasn't until seeing the live breakdown before the last relay that it was clear the winning team would be decided by that final relay of shooters. Everyone made solid contributions toward the win, but Julia's PR (personal record) in the first relay of 194 and Vivi's final relay of 194 were the bread of a championship sandwich.”

Vivi added: “The championship match was full of uncertainty from the start. We posted solid scores in the first relay, only to find out that there would be an additional sixth relay due to technical issues in the range, which meant I got pushed from the fifth to the last relay. Spending about five hours at the range without checking scores and just mentally preparing to shoot was tough, but in the end, it proved to be crucial. When I finally stepped up to the line, I had no idea that we were trailing by five points, and I was the only one left to post a score for WMA. Even after I finished shooting, the nerves were unreal - it was that close. But in the end, it all worked out, and we pulled off the win.”

The league championship came a week after the Academy earned the Gallery Match trophy. The regular season, though, had its ups and downs, largely due to so many new shooters to the team.

“The regular season was definitely a tough one,” Vivi said. “With 70 percent of the team completely new to the sport and the loss of many of our veteran shooters, our margin for error was way smaller than in previous years. On top of that, we had a head coach change, which put the team in a transition phase, along with the challenge of the new team members adapting to different ranges we shot at this season. But despite all that, one thing stayed constant - I could always count on my team to give their all in every practice and every match. Everyone put in the work, and that effort really showed as the season went on.”

Julia continued, “With a team of only five returners and eight new teammates unfamiliar with guns, this season was all about growth and adaptation. We faced challenges and hardships, but the team’s dedication and mental discipline improved as the season went.”