Statesboro High School student wins GHSA State Riflery Championship

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) -Statesboro High School’s Katlyn Sullivan has won Georgia’s 2024 Riflery State Championship, and this young markswoman is gaining stature in Olympic and national competitions.

The victory, a first for Sullivan and Statesboro High School, marks a significant achievement for Katlyn and her school. The Georgia High School Association’s Riflery State Championship was held in Waycross on March 16, at the Ware County Shooting Complex. Sullivan’s precision and focus proved to be a winning combination as she topped the individual leaderboard in the three-position air rifle competition.

While this is her first state championship, Sullivan has already been successful in several other state and national competitions. In addition to competing for Statesboro High School Riflery, Sullivan also shoots competitively for the Shooting Sports Education Center’s club team in Statesboro, she has represented the Statesboro American Legion Post 15 in national competitions, and is a three-time Junior Olympics qualifier for USA Shooting. She has also begun competing in competitions designed to showcase high school talent to prospective college riflery teams.

Sullivan has qualified and been invited by USA Shooting to the National Rifle Junior Olympic Championships for the past three years, competing well and rising in the national ranks with each competition and striving toward her goal of possibly competing in an Olympics. Olympic Trials are a three-stage competition and shooters must complete all three stages. The top two shooters and one alternate represent the United States in the Olympics, which for 2024, are in Paris, France. During this year’s trials which were held in September 2023 in Fort Moore, Georgia, December 2023 in Colorado Springs, and January 2024 in Anniston, Alabama, Sullivan ranked 24th out of 79 shooters.

“This feels incredible,” Sullivan said after her state win last week. “All the hard work and practice throughout the season truly paid off. I’m so proud to represent Statesboro High School and bring this championship home.”