Matt Chezem Equals Nat’l Jr. Record in Winning NJOSC 50m Gold

At the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships this past week, a young Californian tied a smallbore prone record. Matthew (Matt) Chezem won the Men’s 50m Prone Junior Title with 1290.4 points. Matt shot 590 on Day 1 and came back with 598 on Day 2. Matt’s 598 points tied a National Junior Record. That outstanding score placed him first going into the finals, with a one point lead over Spencer Upham from Washington. Chezem shot 102.4 points to Upham’s 102.5 points in the final, but Chezem’s lead was enough to secure the gold. Chezem, a student at Moorpark College in California, also coaches other junior shooters at the Los Angeles Rifle & Revolver Club.

Silver Medalist Upham, one of two 16-year-olds in the final, finished with 1289.5 total points. The bronze medal was a battle between Michael Matthews (3-Position winner) and Taylor Ciotola. Both entered the final at 1186 match points, but Matthews edged out Ciotola by just three-tenths of a point. Mathews 3rd place in 50m prone, along with his 50m 3-Position win, secured Matthews a place on the USA National Junior Team.