SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Veronica Del Mar has committed to attend the University of Nevada-Reno and will compete on the Wolfpack’s NCCA rifle team.

“I am so excited to compete against my current teammates who are going to other NCAA schools,” said Del Mar. “I have put a lot of work into this and I don’t want to stop here. It is going to be harder and a lot of fun. It will be great to compete against people not just California but the whole United States. Hopefully, I will make the travel team.”

Del Mar, who lives in Lincoln, has been competing since the seventh grade in the sport.

“My dad made me try a lot of sports and he wanted me to find one I was passionate about,” said Del Mar. “It is the best sport for me for a lot of reasons.”

She competes for the Lead Heads team with the Lincoln Junior Rifle Club and is coached by Steve Katsuyama. She has achieved the Distinguished Marksman award from the Winchester/NRA Marksman Certification program, as well as earning her Air Rifle Distinguished Junior Badge.

“It is quite an accomplishment and it takes several years of shooting at a high level,” said Katsuyama of her recognition earned on points through excellence in competition. “As a junior, it is one of the highest awards she can earn. She has also been a team captain for two years and led the team to several state and local titles. She really has been a solid member of our team through both performance and her leadership skills.”

Del Mar practices 4-5 times a week for two hours each. The goal is to shoot a target 10 meters away that is the size of the tip of pencil. There are two types of guns used in the competitions, an air rifle and .22. Shooters compete in three positions: Prone (lying down), kneeling and standing; or four including sitting in competitions.

They compete in events run by CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program), NRA (National Rifle Association) and USA Rifle. Del Mar has been a competitor at the CMP 3p Air Nationals in each of the last three seasons and will compete in the USA Junior Olympic Championships in Colorado Springs later this month.

“I will be competing against big names like (Olympic Gold Medalist) Ginny Thrasher,” said Del Mar anxiously about the upcoming Junior Olympic event. “It is awesome that she will be there.”

Del Mar has earned numerous awards and recognitions for her shooting while posting personal-best scores of 490 (4P Smallbore) and 585 (3P Air Rifle). She has claimed first place in the Buttes Rifle League in Smallbore. She has also been part of the Sectional Air Rifle Standing team in 2016 and 2017 and sixth place team at the CMP State Championships in 2016.

Del Mar is excited to join the Nevada program coached by long-time head coach Fred Harvey. He has coached 24 All-Americans in his 16-year career.

“I am very excited,” said Del Mar. “I got to know the coach and more about the team thru my teammates. A lot of my teammates have gone there. It is the closest school and only one on the West coast.”

Rifle is the only NCAA sport to have men and women compete against one another directly.

At first glance, Del Mar does not fit the image you might expect but she is glad to help grow the sport.

“I have to explain it first,” said Del Mar of sharing her sport with her friends. “There is such a reaction because of the guns and it is not a very popular especially on the West coast. There is the negative stigmatism with firearms. We are careful with what we do and, if more people knew about it, there would be less fear. We are using the guns for the sport I love.”

But she admits it is not much of a spectator sport.

“It is like watching paint dry because we are all standing still but all you hear are clicks,” said Del Mar.

Del Mar will participate in the St. Francis Spring Sports Signing Day event on April 12 at 9 a.m.