Hi Everyone, I just got back from Arizona after shooting Superstition Mystery Mountain 3-Gun. Last year I won the Ladies Division in Open and this year I did it again! I want to tell you about the match and some of the stages in the hopes that more ladies might be inspired to come out and try their hands at mulitgun.

SMM3-Gun is very similar to USPSA and other 3-Gun organizations with multiple guns shot on a single stage. We shoot everything: traditional USPSA and IPSC paper targets, lots of steel, LaRue sniper targets that fall down and reset automatically, and long range rifle targets that flash when you hit them. At this match we even shot “E Type Targets”, a silhouette military target that electronically records your hits and is computer programed to fall down after two shots.
Just like in handgun, how you map out a stage and plan your course of fire can make or break you. Plus, you have the added challenge of transitioning from one firearm to another (safely, of course!). This is really a thinking game. It’s all about having your gear placed correctly on your body for reloads, engaging the targets in the right order, setting one gun down and picking up another and staying strong all the way through in stages that are much longer than what we traditionally shoot in pistol-only matches.
The stages in 3-Gun are always new and pushing the boundaries. On one stage, after shooting long range rifle as far as 350 yards and some super-fast close range rifle, we shot a dark house with pistol! You grabbed your pistol and a Surefire flashlight then entered a pitch black room holding the flashlight in your weak hand and engaging the targets strong-handed. On another all-rifle stage you started hanging from a Vietnam-era parachute rig that had been hoisted off the ground. Your rifle was empty and you had to load and shoot 17 USPSA targets. The harness was extremely restrictive and it required some wiggling around to see all the targets. I have to say this is the first time I shot a gun with my feet dangling beneath me!
There were a lot of great lady shooters in Arizona. Tasha Hanish won the Ladies Tactical Scope division (a few years in a row now, I think!). I got to meet Tasha’s teammate Dianna Liedorff. Denise Johnson made me laugh during the awards ceremony and is so supportive of all the women. I only wish there were more women 3-Gunners. I hope some of you USPSA shooters will grab the rest of your guns and join us!
See you on the range,
Maggie Reese
P.S. I want to thank the Women of USPSA. Tasha and I were talking at the match about how great it is to have a website that showcases all of the ladies in our sport. Thanks Kippi, Julie, and Sharyn for all your time!
Editor’s note: You’re welcome, Maggie and thanks for contributing your story!
Congratulations to ALL of the women that competed at the match. To follow is a list of the Top 3 ladies in Open and Tactical Scope Divisions.
OPEN DIVISION:
1 – Maggie Reese
2 – Debora Cheek
3 – Annette Williamson
TACTICAL SCOPE DIVISION:
1 – Tasha Hanish
2 – Dianna Liedorff
3 – Sara Dunivin
For complete match results, check the SMM3G web site.
Have thrown together a quick video of a few stages from the Western States Single Stack Classic. Would have loved to have been able to film ALL of the ladies, but we were squadded all over the range. : (
Maybe when I retire, I’ll be able to cover all competitors! The filming and video editing is so much fun, but not quite enough to make me want to not shoot!
Enjoy!
Kippi
Yes, the scope is missing off my gun and I have magazines wrapped endlessly around my waist! I’m counting in groups of 10, and could not tell you how many rounds a stage is, but could tell you how many reloads I have to do! I’m back to try iron sites again.
Never, ever having shot iron sites, strictly an Open class shooter for 16 years, in 2008 I thought I would try something new – a 185 Power Factor non-compensated firearm that left my hands cut and bandaged by the end of the competition.
Hmmmmm…. I think those Lady “Limited” shooters pulled a fast one on me. They make it look so easy!
Being stubborn and not always the brightest crayon in the box, I talked myself into it again this year. I may never become proficient with iron sites, but I told myself I was going to learn and understand how to effectively shoot them. Plus, it was time to try something different in this sport! This time, I chose to shoot minor which I felt would allow me learn how the sites function vs. how to hang on to my firearm.
Thanks to Joe Rini, who so generously lent me his “baby” 9mm M2I, and believe me, it IS his baby. Joe called me after every match I shot to make sure she was running top notch for me and to make sure I wasn’t having any problems, which I’m happy to report, I had absolutely no malfunctions. So, I must thank him for being so kind.
I woke up the morning of the match and honestly, did not want to shoot. It had been a tough few months leading up to the match, listening to the many jokes that I probably shouldn’t shoot iron sites, that some people are just meant to shoot Open only, and to stick with what I know. The last thing I felt like doing was proving them right! But, the stubbornness, with the assistance of my husband’s foot, booted me out the door and off we went. I was going to shoot it and prove them wrong!
Steve Horsman, Kyle Schmidt, and their staff put on an excellent match, as one would expect from the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club. Again, we were fortunate to have a wonderful squad with fantastic shooters from New Mexico, California, Alaska, my partner in crime, Doni, and my ever-so-patient husband, Russell … what do I line up WHERE??!!
The challenges presented to us were pesky plates that were way too far for iron site shooting, partial targets, drop turners, a partial bobber, clam shells, the Texas Star and the Rio swingers, slightly tuned down, thankfully. The stages were for the most part physical, very little standing around, and creatively set up for both the major caliber shooters and the minor caliber shooters to come up with a plan that works for them.
We had 11 challenging courses of fire, 260+ rounds and beautiful weather. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The WSSSC grew by approximately 40 shooters from the last time I shot it, and I suspect will become more and more difficult to get into, so mark your calendars for 2011.
Moral of the story, Ladies, if it doesn’t work the first time, try another way, and never listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t. We have many, many World-Class Lady shooters in our sport – ask them for help. I’m certain you’ll quite easily find it.
Congratulations to Sara Dunivin who finished an impressive 31st Overall, with Kippi Leatham close behind at 39th. I’d say one of these Lady’s would be a great starting point!
To wrap up, I would like to thank Scott Carnahan of Safariland (http://holsters.com). Safariland does so much for this sport and Scott has been absolutely fantastic. I love, love, love the gear! The Safariland equipment worked perfectly for me! I especially loved the drop down option for the holster. I’ll be using it again next year!
Eva Micklethwaite
2009 USPSA Area-2 “Open” Champion : )
Editor’s note: I’m so happy for (and proud of) Eva for having the perseverance to “prove her nay-sayers wrong”. She shot an excellent match and was much improved over her 2008 finish! I watched her shoot Stage 3, and she certainly looked like a SS shooter to me! I hope that Eva, the other ladies that shot the match, and hopefully a few more gals sign up for next year’s event! In closing, I extend my congratulations to ALL of the 2010 Western States Single Stack Women shooters:
1 – Sara Dunivin, 2 – Kippi Leatham, 3 – Lisa Munson, 4 – T.D. Roe,
5 – Doni Spencer, 6 – Maggie Reese, 7 – Kandi Blick, 8 – Eva Micklethwaite,
9 – Tabatha Averyt, 10 – Sue Little, 11 – Carol Mar, 12 – Denise Harrington,
13 – Toni Lucero, 14 – Sara Drake, 15 – Gail Drake, 16 – Allison Arnett
Woo Tom – Hope to see you next year, too!
Kippi
This year’s USPSA Multi-Gun Championships brought us two new ladies to the national winners circle. We so enjoyed reading the post on the Women of USPSA Blog from this year’s Open Champion, Maggie Reese. We were also able to catch up with Tasha Hanish and chat about her Tactical Division win…
WoUSPSA – Congratulations on your first USPSA National Title! This must be so exciting for you. You’ve literally grown up shooting USPSA Handgun matches. What is is like to shoot Multi-Gun compared to the pistol divisions in USPSA?
Tasha – This is just my 2nd Multi-Gun Nationals. Multi-Gun matches are a lot of fun! For me, I get more out of these than pistol matches. There is more to think about, more to do, and a multitude of skills you have to incorporate in your match. For instance, for all 3-Gun stages you have to think about where to pick up and where to safely drop off guns, as well as remembering which targets to shoot with which gun.
WoUSPSA – How was the match for you this year?
Tasha – My squad was a lot of fun. The FNH guys were all in the squad, as well as some shooters I am used to seeing (but never had the chance to shoot with) at pistol matches. I learned a lot from each of them! My highlights were the long-range rifle stages. I finally was able to dive into my skills and balance out nerves and patience to get through the 2 stages. Even though they were my highlights, they were also personal challenges. Other challenges were minor, and more of a reminder of what I need to work on to better my shooting abilities.
WoUSPSA – What would you tell someone who was thinking of shooting Multi-Gun but hasn’t taken the plunge?
Tasha – It’s a challenge, it’s fun, and everyone is willing to help you get through the matches. If something goes wrong, there are amazing individuals who will back you and help you get through it. I truly enjoy the fact that the shooting sports are such a family of people. I do it, because of all these reasons!!! My words of encouragement are do it, try it. If at first you don’t feel comfortable (like I did), try it again. Try new guns, ammo, etc…only then will you get a true feeling of the fun you can have!
WoUSPSA – So, tell us… What’s it feel like to win your first nationals?!
Tasha – Feelings about winning… well, excitement of course! I had been trying for so many years to get a national championship! This year I concentrated so much more on 3-Gun (because I enjoy it so much) that it was that much more rewarding to finally succeed. I can’t put it completely into words how it felt to finally win, but know that I appreciate everyone’s support, encouragement and love throughout the years that I have been shooting!
Many thanks to Tasha and Maggie for taking the time to share their experiences winning their first USPSA National Titles. Congratulations to them and all the ladies who competed at this year’s Multi-Gun!
Hi Everyone,
In October, I attended my first USPSA MultiGun Nationals. I won my first National Title as the 2009 MultiGun High Lady in Open! It was a challenging yet rewarding match and I wanted to share the highlights with those of you who couldn’t make it.
The match was held October 22-25 at the Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club, twenty miles outside of Las Vegas. It was a great range for 3-Gun with a dozen small bays, a 1000-yard high-power range (thankfully we only shot up to 350 yards!) and three stages set up in open desert terrain.
The weather really cooperated, staying in the mid 80s with the wind only coming up on the last day. Co-Match Directors Michael Voigt and John Amidon put on 12 stages which required a minimum of 160 rounds of handgun, 110 rounds of rifle, 115 rounds of birdshot, and 20 slugs – though most competitors fired substantially more.
The props and stages were really amazing! There were 137 walls, 50 barrels, 65 poppers and 2 (!) Texas Stars, one shot with pistol and the other with shotgun. There was knock-down steel, a handful of swingers, lots of paper and two shotgun traps throwing clay birds. All in all, the match used over 10,000 clay pigeons.
LaRue Tactical was also extremely generous, loaning the match over $30,000 in Sniper Targets. For those of you who have not seen a LaRue Sniper Target, it is a 12 by 22 inch self-setting steel silhouette. About 9 seconds after the target is hit, it returns upright. Having those targets set out at up to 350 yards really saved the competitors and ROs a tremendous amount of time and effort resetting the long range stages. If LaRue would only come up with self-taping paper targets, my life would be complete!
I was lucky enough to shoot with true Super Squad greats and National Champions Mike Voigt, Bennie Cooley, Taran Butler, JoJo Vidanes, and Jerry and Kay Miculek. What also made our squad great was having other first-timers to the match. Dave Cutts (a pistol GM out of California) and Bennie’s son Jaxon (a great junior who is almost as good as his dad!) rounded out our squad. I had the benefit of watching true experts, along with the camaraderie of new 3-gunners who understand what it is like simply trying to survive a stage.
There were a lot of great runs made on the range and stories flew as fast the bullets. Daniel Horner, who took first in Tactical, had an amazing run of 66.17 seconds on Stage 1, Bunker Boogie, and it was immediately relayed throughout the match. He shot a total of 10 targets at 350 yards, 5 targets at 150 yards, not to mention 17 shots of close-range pistol just to get started. And he did it over 20 seconds quicker than the next fastest competitor in Tactical!
Tasha Hanish won High Lady in Tactical. She’s had a great year in 3-Gun and this match was no different. She really showed off her pistol skills with a Top Ten overall finish on Stage 8, Slot Match, a Comstock 24-round, 120 point all pistol stage. She shot it in only 15.70 seconds! This was also Tasha’s first National Title.
Stage 11, Desert Quail and Rabbits, was an extra challenging stage for a lot of us. At the beginning of the stage, there were two poppers and two hidden clays set about 15 yards in front of you. A foot activator set off two trap machines, all of which were shot from within a typical sporting clays shotgun “cage”. Since the flying clays were disappearing targets, they were no-penalty mikes if you missed them. They were worth 20 points each if you could hit them, though, and that made it really hard for people to pass up potentially 40-points on a 200-point stage. Open Champion, Mike Voigt, set the bar high with a run of 25.77 seconds. He nailed both flying clay birds, ran through the rest of the shotgun and close-range rifle, and finished the stage by shooting three 80-yard targets off hand rather than running to the end to where you could engage the targets on a rest! I ran the stage in 41.59 seconds and finished 22nd overall.
My favorite stage was probably Stage 7, Around The Bend. It had everything! 26 rounds of rifle with lots of no-shoots, eight rounds of birdshot with two of the poppers flipping up clays, and 13 rounds for pistol, including a Texas Star! That stage really emphasized what MultiGun is all about with shooting on the move, transitioning from one gun to another, moving targets and a lot of multitasking along the way. I finished 25th overall on this stage, with a total time of 47.17 seconds.
I also really enjoyed the two all-pistol stages, Stage 4, X Games and Stage 8, Slot Match. For the first time ever at a major match, I felt that my times on the stages more accurately reflected my skills. For once my nerves were under control and I saw things happening in my sight picture that normally I only see in practice. It was truly one of those “a-ha moments” and I had the quiet satisfaction of knowing I had reached a new level with my competitive shooting.
There’s always the other end of the spectrum though. Stage 1, Bunker Boogie, reminded me of how far I still have to go to be a great shooter. It’s almost too painful to speak of! I will say I had a “death jam” on the pistol part and timed-out before I could finish the rifle. Yikes, even now I cringe!
All in all, it was a great match and I am looking forward to shooting it again next year. I hope to see some new faces and old friends, who could not make it this year, at the 2010 match.
Thank you Women of USPSA for letting me share my first MultiGun Nationals win.
We’re on to a different match! Interviews with the sixth through eighth women of the 2009 USPSA Limited-10 Nationals…
8th Place – Kandi Blick
Law Enforcement, Military, & Civilian Firearms Instructor

WoUSPSA – Kandi, it was great being squadded with you at this year’s L10 Nationals. How many USPSA Nationals have you shot in total?
Kandi – 3 Nationals: 2008 Production, 2008 L-10 & the 2009 L-10.
WoUSPSA – You unfortunately did not get to finish the 2009 Production Nationals due to a DQ. Our hearts were certainly with you. : (
How did you regroup and what was your approach to shooting the second, Limited-10 match?
Kandi – What a learning experience! After all of the practice, mental game, visualization and all around prep, one doesn’t expect to DQ, so when it happened, I definitely had an emotional response. I did my very best to hold everything in until I was alone and then let go. Also, this was the first time I was fortunate enough to shoot in the ladies Super Squad, and so I felt even more pressure and the let down even greater. Wow, was I lucky to be in that squad. Everyone gave me so much support and great advice. It never crossed my mind that this had also happened to “those great shooters”! Of course, it got around to the other squads, and even more top shooters shared their own experiences. I want to personally thank everyone for their kindness and especially Kippi for taking the time to call me and talk right after it happened…thank you my friend!
WoUSPSA – So after all of that, how do you feel you performed in the match?
Kandi – Overall, my performance was what I expected, considering the circumstances and current skill level. I was VERY happy to finish the match! ; ) I love to compete and shooting with so many great shooters who have such a professional mindset about the shooting sports was real inspiration to my competition game. I definitely stayed focused on my personal goals and HAD FUN!!!
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Kandi – My favorite stage was the Texas Star stage! While I don’t necessarily agree that the “star” should be in a major match, because I don’t think it’s a fair piece of equipment to use to test skills across the board for all levels of shooters, it did crystalize very quickly gut reactions! I liked how the stage represented the gamut of emotions from “No problem to how the heck?” I liked the movement, quick shooting, moving targets, and of course the many options one could apply. I personally don’t get much chance to shoot stars throughout the year and so my anxiety level was higher. I probably asked more questions, and spent a lot of time watching other top shooters from other squads shoot it than any other stage. When I stepped up, I was slightly nervous, but I felt very focused and dedicated, with no doubt about my plan and it went off without a hitch. I felt great satisfaction with my performance at my current skill level. That stage helped me realize that I should be concentrating at that level or higher every time I step up to shoot and/or practice.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the rest of the stages?
Kandi – This year’s Nationals were more of a speed shoot than anything else. I would have liked to have seen more long range shots, standards, weak/strong hand shooting and different shooting positions.
WoUSPSA – Is there anything you would like to add about the match?
Kandi – I am very grateful to all the ladies who have been at this a long time. Thanks to all of my squad mates for your support and continued friendship. Randi Rogers…thank you for all of your help throughout this match. Thanks to the match staff and USPSA staff, and ALL of the sponsors! I couldn’t finish this without thanking my sponsor Safariland, Scott Carnahan, Captain of Team Safariland and the love of my life for his support, and to Mike Voigt who has truly helped my shooting game on a regular basis…thanks guys!
WoUSPSA – Kandi, thanks so much for your input and congratulations once again on your Top 8 placement at the L10 Match.
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WoUSPSA – Hi Diana! You’re a fairly new name to some of us. How many USPSA Nationals have you competed in?
Diana – This year was my first attendance.
WoUSPSA – Well, welcome! We hope you enjoyed your first Nationals! Did you have any goals for the match?
Diana – To watch the best of the game shoot, and have fun shooting the Nationals without caving from the pressure of a big match.
WoUSPSA – It appears that you didn’t “cave”. How do you feel you performed in the match?
Diana – For Open Division, I was very satisfied with my performance. As for Limited-10, I had my good, my bad, and my very ugly moments. All I can say is that I have complete new found respect for competitors who can trudge through two Nationals with the same accuracy and aggressiveness.
WoUSPSA – It does make for a long week. What stage ended up being your best?
Diana – Stage 13 “Making Extra Money”.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Diana – I have to pick the house stage (Stage 9, “Stand Still Bob”) as the best stage out of the whole match. My favorite stages have three things: required movement, swingers, and A LOT of walls. Who can beat that?
WoUSPSA – That was a fun stage … what did you think of the stages overall?
Diana – Since I started shooting in 2007, I’ve downloaded and taken a peek at Nationals stages (2007/2008). This year, the stages thankfully did not have too many rounds per stage (average was around 15-24 rounds). Though high round counts give the necessary high fun factor in some other Level II/III USPSA matches, I do not think they have a place in the Nationals arena. The stages gave competitors options (required in my book) in terms of routes and positions, plus there were always those white targets to keep us in check. Though I think the no shoots were a little overkill this year. : ) Overall, I couldn’t have asked for more in terms of stage quality for a 1st Nationals!
WoUSPSA – Did you enjoy being in Las Vegas, Nevada for the match?
Diana – Yes…Yes…and did I say YES? I told myself that this could be my first, and last, trip to a Nationals in Vegas, so I decided the day I landed at the Las Vegas airport to treat my credit card like it was a money tree. We did everything from buffet tasting at multiple restaurants, to going casino hopping (and getting a surprising amount from free slot cards), to seeing some awesome shows and sites. Even after a month and a half from the 11-day trip, we are still talking about it. Here’s a very short video clip of our Las Vegas/USPSA trip – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmTQerh4LDs
WoUSPSA – Thanks for sharing the video … it’s a lot of fun to watch! Anything else about the match that you would like to share?
Diana – I seem to be able to say some creepy time predictions on other competitors as they make ready. On one of the stages, in which most of the squad was getting times between 10 to 13 seconds, I jokingly told some other shooters that the next competitor coming up would get 9.59 seconds. I was off by about five-hundredths of a second…their expressions were hilarious!
WoUSPSA – Quite a knack, Diana, though I’m not sure I would necessarily want to know my time up front! ; ) Thanks for interviewing with us and congratulations on your Top 8 finish at your very first USPSA Nationals!
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6th Place – Maggie Reese
2009 USPSA Multi-Gun Open Champion

WoUSPSA – Congratulations on your 6th place finish, Maggie! What was your goal for the L10 Nationals this year?
Maggie – My goal for Nationals was to survive the match!! Having only competed in USPSA for two years now, it’s more about the race than the finish for me. Of course, finishing 6th feels pretty good, too.
WoUSPSA - 6th place is GREAT! How do you feel you performed in the match?
Maggie – Overall, I am happy with my performance. I really focused on having a deliberate and well-focused plan for each stage. I had very few penalties and I was happy with my overall accuracy. My goals for next year include entering and leaving positions more aggressively and pushing my speed without compromising my accuracy. Shooting with the Ladies in the first match really helped me to gauge my performance now and visualize what I want to become in the future.
WoUSPSA – What was your best stage?
Maggie – I didn’t know until you asked, but my best stage was stage 16. It started off with some tight distance shots and ended with the competitor backing up for two close range targets. This was a short stage with only 6 classic targets so where you did your reload was really crucial for L-10 here.
WoUSPSA – What was your favorite stage and why?
Maggie – Stage 12, Flipping Out, was my favorite. Out of all the stages, I spent the most amount of time figuring this one out. There were 6 metric targets and 5 pepper poppers, two with flip-ups. It was all about the timing here. What could you shoot while waiting for the steel to fall and the flippers to appear? Oh, and reload, and do it all from the squatting position! I had the biggest sense of satisfaction when I finished this stage knowing that my strong plan and execution paid off.
WoUSPSA – What did you think of the stages, in general?
Maggie – Some people thought the stages were too simple or easy. They were also the same people who walked away with a lot of misses and penalties! I liked how deceiving things were and how competitors could be lured into making simple mistakes. For me, Nationals is about having a strong mental game to match your shooting ability. Some matches can be overly technical, others fast and easy. Each has its place, but it’s still about respecting the stage in front of you and keeping your focus all the way through. Overall though, I thought there was a good variety of skills and scenarios tested.
WoUSPSA – Did you like being in Las Vegas?
Maggie – I did enjoy being in Las Vegas. One, it’s close to home(!) and two, it wasn’t nearly as hot and miserable as I thought it would be (wink wink). The RO’s and staff did a great job of making sure water was available and everyone stayed hydrated. Also, I think if we can stay there for a few years, we can accumulate a lot of props and really build the match up.
WoUSPSA – Would you like to add anything in closing?
Maggie: I was extremely thankful for Women of USPSA’s coverage of Nationals. It was great for my family and friends back home to be able to track the match with updates and videos hourly! Thanks WoUSPSA!
WoUSPSA – You’re welcome, Maggie, and congrats again on your overall placement!
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Stay tuned for continuing coverage on the Limited-10 Nationals!
The USPSA Handgun Nationals for 2009 are complete. The back-to-back events were hosted by the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle & Pistol Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. The second o f the two National Events crowned champions in Limited, Limited 10 and Revolver categories. Congratulations to our new National Champions!
2009 USPSA Limited Champions are:
Jessie Abbate & Ted Puente
2009 USPSA Limited-10 Champions are:
Randi Rogers & Dave Sevigny
2009 USPSA Revolver Champions are:
Annette Aysen & Cliff Walsh
We’ve been doing our best to bring you live coverage of the USPSA Nationals. Unfortunately cell service is at best spotty on the range so streaming video is hit or miss. Who’s winning? It’s to early to tell at this point. We just checked the USPSA website and there are no results posted yet.
We’ll keep trying our best to stream video but in the meantime, enjoy two videos from Squad 9 of Maggie Reese (Open) and Jessie Abbate (Production):
One of our own Women of USPSA, Kippi Leatham, wrote up a fantastic article on the 2009 Springfield Armory Single Stack Classic/USPSA Single Stack Nationals for Action Shooting Podcast. We weren’t surprised at all to discover that Kippi works a pen just as well as she pulls the trigger. Read it here.
The nationals were once again held at PASA Park in Barry, IL April 29 through May 2nd, 2009. After 20 challenging courses of fire with “old school” single stack 1911’s, it was a close race between Lisa Munson and Kippi Leatham. Both of these ladies have won the Single Stack National title before (and between the two of them have accumulated USPSA national titles in the double digits – WOW). In a nail biter finish, Lisa edged out Kippi by just .56% and finished 46th overall. This marks Lisa’s 2nd consecutive Single Stack Ladies National Title.
Rounding out the talented Top 8 were:
Congratulations ladies and thanks again to Kippi for her match coverage!