Members of Liberty's Air Pistol team pose at the Ohio State shooting range where they placed second in a National qualifying competition in early March.
Pistol team to receive $40,000 grant from MidwayUSA Foundation to expand operations in 2025-26 season
6/11/2025 5:31:00 PM | Pistol
The Club Sports team will become one of the few collegiate programs in the nation to offer outdoor 25-meter pistol competitions with electronic targets.
Liberty University's Club Sports Pistol Team recently was awarded a MidwayUSA Foundation range improvement grant of nearly $40,000 for the 2025-26 fiscal year, allowing the team to purchase eight electronic target systems for competitive pistol shooting.
The foundation was formed in 2007, with a primary goal of supporting youth shooting sports across America.
"We are happy to support the Liberty University Pistol team's application for a range development grant this year," MidwayUSA Foundation Southeast Program Manager Jeff McClure said. "Liberty University has been a key partner with the MidwayUSA Foundation for years across several shooting disciplines, including rifle, shotgun, and now the pistol team. This year's range grant was spread across 141 awardees encompassing over $3.6 million. Liberty University has an established history of supporting youth shooting and we are very happy to be a small part of the program's continued growth."
"MidwayUSA Foundation's generous matching grant of $39,629 will provide Liberty with the opportunity to be one of the few schools in the nation to offer outdoor 25-meter pistol competitions with electronic targets," added Liberty Head Coach Bill Crawford, who also serves as a senior director of the Outdoor Recreation department. "These competitions are run by the international division of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), closely mirroring the rules of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). This means Liberty, with these targets, can approximate Olympic standards for 25-meter pistol competitions."
"This is a matching grant, and the team worked diligently on Giving Day and continues to work with Liberty Club Sports, Campus Recreation leadership, and the Liberty Mountain Gun Club to meet our side of the financial obligation," he added. "Not only will the Liberty Pistol Team and visiting teams benefit from these targets, but academic classes with the Helms School of Government and eventually students, faculty, and staff will be able to experience shooting on this new range."
"Beyond our tremendous gratitude to the MidwayUSA Foundation, we also want to thank Jeff McClure and James Hall, 2020 U.S. Olympic pistol competitor and Director of Development for International Disciplines with the SASP, for their support and encouragement throughout this process."
The foundation was formed in 2007, with a primary goal of supporting youth shooting sports across America.
"We are happy to support the Liberty University Pistol team's application for a range development grant this year," MidwayUSA Foundation Southeast Program Manager Jeff McClure said. "Liberty University has been a key partner with the MidwayUSA Foundation for years across several shooting disciplines, including rifle, shotgun, and now the pistol team. This year's range grant was spread across 141 awardees encompassing over $3.6 million. Liberty University has an established history of supporting youth shooting and we are very happy to be a small part of the program's continued growth.""MidwayUSA Foundation's generous matching grant of $39,629 will provide Liberty with the opportunity to be one of the few schools in the nation to offer outdoor 25-meter pistol competitions with electronic targets," added Liberty Head Coach Bill Crawford, who also serves as a senior director of the Outdoor Recreation department. "These competitions are run by the international division of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), closely mirroring the rules of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). This means Liberty, with these targets, can approximate Olympic standards for 25-meter pistol competitions."
"This is a matching grant, and the team worked diligently on Giving Day and continues to work with Liberty Club Sports, Campus Recreation leadership, and the Liberty Mountain Gun Club to meet our side of the financial obligation," he added. "Not only will the Liberty Pistol Team and visiting teams benefit from these targets, but academic classes with the Helms School of Government and eventually students, faculty, and staff will be able to experience shooting on this new range."
"Beyond our tremendous gratitude to the MidwayUSA Foundation, we also want to thank Jeff McClure and James Hall, 2020 U.S. Olympic pistol competitor and Director of Development for International Disciplines with the SASP, for their support and encouragement throughout this process."
Liberty Club Sports Holistic Development 2024-25
Thursday, May 22
Liberty Air Pistol 2024-2025 Season Preview
Wednesday, November 13
Liberty Action Season Preview 2022-23
Wednesday, July 26