09/08/2026
WHAT A WEEKEND OF COMPETITION AT ELITE PREPAREDNESS!
We want to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out for our Steel Challenge Match Friday night and our 3-Gun Match Saturday morning!
Both events had a great turnout, some excellent competition and, most importantly, a lot of people having a great time on the ranges.
Friday night's Steel Challenge gave shooters the opportunity to test their speed and accuracy against the clock across five different divisions. We had experienced competitors chasing faster times, newer shooters challenging themselves and plenty of friendly competition throughout the evening.
Then Saturday morning we changed gears for our 3-Gun Match, putting pistol, rifle and shotgun skills together. Competitors were challenged on their accuracy, weapon handling, transitions and ability to perform under the pressure of the clock.
One of the things we enjoy most about these events is the mix of people who participate. Different ages, different experience levels and different reasons for competing — but everyone sharing the same range, encouraging one another and having a good time.
That's exactly the environment we want to continue building at Elite Preparedness.
STEEL CHALLENGE RESULTS — SEPTEMBER 4
ISP
1 Gabe Cowen — 27.19
2 John Chrysler — 40.21
3 Ben Stepp — 67.39
4. Heather Sage — 81.15
5. Dwayne Lashley — 86.51
6. Abby Gorsuch — 110.64
7. Bailey Dawn — 115.26
OPEN
1 Dave Melick — 22.38
2 Heath Fesler — 25.87
3 Seth Wagner — 31.59
4. Joseph McCormick — 31.76
5. Ann Russell — 34.46
6. Tommy Kline — 38.40
7. Allen Williamson — 39.98
8. Tammy Suprano — 55.29
9. Wyatt Denuit — 65.05
10. Cole Chrysler — 74.70
PCCO
Ben Stepp — 20.24
Anna Chrysler — 24.97
RFPI
Gabe Cowen — 28.03
Isabel Simoes — 35.72
RFPO
Dave Melick — 23.26
Devin Woods — 69.61
FASTEST STEEL TIME OF THE NIGHT
Congratulations to Ben Stepp, whose 20.24 in PCCO was the fastest combined Steel Challenge time of the match!
3-GUN MATCH RESULTS — SEPTEMBER 5
1st — Dave Melick
200.0000 Match Points | 100.0000%
2nd — Kurt Melvin
178.8235 Match Points | 89.4118%
3rd — Elijah Denson
159.7972 Match Points | 79.8986%
Sean Younkin — 142.0244 | 71.0122%
Heath Fesler — 120.5919 | 60.2960%
Allen Williamson — 117.3270 | 58.6635%
Steve Woods — 117.0448 | 58.5224%
Paul Gose — 94.8438 | 47.4219%
Ann Russell — 90.6837 | 45.3418%
Dwayne Lashley — 81.3991 | 40.6996%
Devin Woods — 80.6092 | 40.3046%
Congratulations to Dave Melick on taking the overall 3-Gun win!
Dave also won both individual stages, finishing the Upper Bay stage first and following it up with another first-place finish on the Table Shoot.
Congratulations not only to our winners, but to EVERYONE who stepped up and competed.
Whether you finished first, set a new personal best, identified something you want to work on, or simply came out to compete and have a good time — we appreciate you being part of the weekend.
Check out the photos from both events!
If you've been watching these matches from the sidelines and thinking about giving competitive shooting a try, we'd encourage you to join us at an upcoming event.
You don't have to be an expert and you don't have to expect to win.
Come out, safely challenge yourself, meet some great people and enjoy a different way to put the skills you've been developing on the range to work.
A big THANK YOU to our competitors, spectators and everyone who helped keep both matches running safely and smoothly.
We appreciate the continued support of Elite Preparedness, and judging by the turnout and response to these matches, we're looking forward to doing it again!
Elite Preparedness
25580 Bell Church Rd.
Utica, OH 43080
740-263-1234
PREPARE. TRAIN. PROTECT.
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