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Â鶹ÊÓƵ Combat Action Shooting Team (CAST) members competed in the U.S. Army at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, based at Fort Benning, Georgia, in March with impressive results.

Over 300 Army soldiers, including five Â鶹ÊÓƵ cadets, competed in the event, also known as "All Army."

William "Lucien" Buettner received the LTG Benjamin Freakley trophy for excellence in marksmanship. The trophy is presented to the top cadet shooter having the highest combined score from all rifle and pistol Excellence In Competition (EIC) matches. Buettner, who also placed second overall in the cadet bracket, is a senior from Brentwood, Tennessee, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in health and fitness.

"I am proud of my achievement and of my teammates' achievements," he said. "The team has worked incredibly hard to perform at All Army. The team has an incredibly bright future and will continue to succeed at Army and other competitions."

Among the other top finishers for Â鶹ÊÓƵ was Davis Mathis.

"Being given the opportunity to represent Â鶹ÊÓƵ and the Corps is a great privilege that is not lost on me," Mathis said. "The Combat Action Shooting Team and I endeavor to get better every day to honor the legacy of those who came before us."

Mathis, a sophomore from Marietta, Georgia, placed sixth. He is pursuing a management degree, with a concentration in supply chain management.

"I am grateful for the resources devoted to the Combat Action Shooting Team that allow us to perform at a high level, especially our coach, retired 1st Sgt. Jason Wistoski."

J.T. Shoemaker took third, Ryan Casey followed at fourth and Daniel Diehl landed in seventh, closing out Â鶹ÊÓƵ's top-10 placements.

"Our cadets did very well. They performed superbly," Wistoski explained. "They are competing against one another, but when the scores get wrapped and stacked, then cadets fall into their own class. There are literally shooters from across the Army spectrum, including those that compete at very super high levels like professional shooting teams."

The team has existed since approximately 2000, and was started by retired Sgt. Eric Leid, a former military science instructor. It provides marksmanship, which is a core competency of any soldier job in the Army.

"Marksmanship competition develops leaders, and it develops their competencies, so when they commission and take platoons, they are going to be unlike any other cadet," Wistoski said. "The soldiers that fall under them are going to instantly realize that these young officers are at a level of excellence. These cadets impress me because they are learning so much and can apply the lessons learned. They improve with every competition. Words can't express how proud I am of them."