Elissa Barron Selected as Inaugural Hap Rocketto Excellence Award Recipient

April 21, 2025

CRESSON, Pennsylvania – Mount Aloysius College Rifle junior Elissa Barron of Hooversville, PA has been selected as the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference's first-ever recipient of the Hap Rocketto Excellence Award.

The award is named for Harold “Hap” Rocketto, the former assistant rifle coach at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for seven seasons and formerly one of six USA Shooting designated High Performance Coaches. Rocketto devoted decades of his life to ensuring the continuation and betterment of the sport through coaching, competing, and publishing records of shooting sports history. A 2016 recipient of the USCGA Alumni Association’s Spirit of the Bear Award, Rocketto was known throughout the rifle and pistol communities for his positive attitude and encouraging nature. This award recognizes an athlete who embodies his spirit in their own pursuits.

Each Head Coach may nominate one athlete for consideration for this award annually. Minimum qualifications for consideration include a GPA of at least 3.0 or equivalent at the time of nomination, being a rostered member of their team that was eligible to compete for both semesters during their year of nomination, and a minimum of 3 matches fired in either event during the prior season. Athletes nominated should have recognizable qualities of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, positive attitude, and leadership. Additional attributes or accomplishments to be considered may include but are not limited to commitment to furthering the shooting sports, and community service.

Barron was nominated for this award as she played a key role in initiating the conversation that led Mount Aloysius College to consider forming a rifle team. In the words of her coach, Siarra Crum, "Her vision and advocacy were instrumental in laying the groundwork for the program." In her program's inaugural season, Barron enjoyed significant success on the range as her collegiate career high scores total 570 for smallbore, 584 for air rifle, and 1152 in two-gun aggregate, placing her among the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference's leading scorers. She earned 2025 All-MAC First Team recognition for both smallbore and air rifle as a result, as well as fourth place in the individual aggregate and smallbore matches at the MAC Conference Championship tournament this past March.