Morgan Hicks (born March 22, 1982, in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

) is an American sport shooter. She has competed for

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

, as a 22-year-old, in small-bore rifle shooting at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, and has won a gold medal in the rifle three positions at the 2008 ISSF World Cup meet in

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. Outside her world and Olympic career, Hicks was an eight-time All-American for

Murray State University Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, H ...

from 2000 to 2004, where she became the NCAA air rifle champion on her senior season. While at Murray, she was a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary society. Hicks started out as a successful junior on the U.S. national team for three years, and eventually earned her first small-bore rifle title at the 2001 Championship of the Americas tournament in

Fort Benning, Georgia Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...

. In early 2004, Hicks added an individual NCAA air rifle title to her career tally in her senior season, while competing for the

. Just two months later, Hicks qualified for her first and only U.S. Olympic team in the 50 m rifle 3 positions at the

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, after placing second at the trials in Fort Benning. A less experienced to the international scene, Hicks marked 197 in prone, 189 in standing, and 191 in the kneeling series to put up a much steadfast aim in twelfth out of 33 shooters with a total score of 577, having been close to an Olympic final cutoff by a two-point margin. Since 2007, Hicks currently serves as a full-time rifle coach for the

University of Nebraska-Lincoln A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

's shooting roster, and a representative for the USA Shooting Board of Directors Athletic Rifle Association.

References

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* * * * 1982 births Living people American female sport shooters Olympic shooters of the United States Shooters at the 2004 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Washington (state) Murray State Racers rifle shooters Nebraska Cornhuskers rifle coaches Sportspeople from Tacoma, Washington 21st-century American women 20th-century American women {{US-sportshooting-bio-stub