By James Day
After a stellar career as a junior shooter, Silverton’s Austin Cock is taking his game to the next level.
A 2013 graduate of Silverton High School, Cock will be competing in college for national powerhouse Jacksonville State of Jacksonville, Ala. Cock, the son of JR and Amy Cock of Silverton, is the reigning U.S. Army junior national air rifle champion, along with national and state awards.
Cock will be joining a program that is coming off a third consecutive trip to the NCAA championships and that featured three all-America performers, junior Sam Muegge, freshman Samantha Bullard and senior Monica Fyfe.
The Gamecocks have won seven Ohio Valley Conference championships since joining the league in 2003-04. Jacksonville State coach Ron Frost, a former all-American shooter at the United States Military Academy, is in his 10th season with the school.
“Jacksonville State has been a real powerhouse in the NCAA rifle arena for years so they’ve been on my radar,” said Cock of his college decision. “Coach Frost sent me out for a visit in May of this year to meet the team and it really felt right. It is a beautiful school and campus with an exceptional shooting range.”
Cock, who will be competing in three position (standing, kneeling and prone) in small bore and air rifle, plans to major in Business Administration and/or Marketing Management.
Silverton’s Austin Cock is a member of the
Tri-County Timber Beasts club team out of Sherwood.
He will attend Jacksonville State in Alabama to
continue competing in rifle shooting.
He won the 2013 US Army junior national air rifle
champion and has won 18 state championships in both
small bore and air rifle. He holds nine national
records and was a silver medalist (men’s air rifle)
and a bronze medalist (men’s prone position)
at the 2012 National Junior Olympics rifle
championships.
Cock has been shooting for seven years and “first became interested in the sport when my dad bought me my first BB gun. After shooting cans in the backyard and gradually moving my way up to a .22 caliber rifle, I wanted to test my skills in some sort of a league and to shoot against others. Another thing that drew me to this sport is the fact that I don’t have to rely on other players or teammates. With precision rifle the score on the shot is the score you shot. There is no hiding it.”
Athletic success runs in the family. Father JR played professional baseball in the minor leagues, Austin’s younger sister Madison, 16, is a high-level competitive gymnast, and 14-year-old sister Emily also participates in competitive rifle.
Austin’s success has helped fuel some lofty ambitions for the future.
“Getting to travel around the country the past few years to compete in many of these national matches has really given me a taste of what else is out there in the competitive world,” he said.
Competing in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro “would really be great,” he said.
Austin noted that sister Emily also has high hopes of Rio “so shooting together on an Olympic team would be a dream come true for mom and dad.”
For now Cock will look to make his mark with a top-flight collegiate team.
The Gamecocks open the season Sept. 28 with a competition in Memphis, Tenn. Jacksonville hosts a two-day invitational meet in November.
