Three Springs senior Kylie Delaney shooting – literally – for a bright future

Toting a pink .22-caliber rifle, a 10-year-old Kylie Delaney proceeded to fire a series of rounds during a visit to a Vancouver, Washington, shooting range.

When her father, Jay, went to retrieve the bullet-riddled target, an elderly onlooker was impressed.

“That’s some good shooting, sir,” the man said to Jay.

“Oh, that wasn’t me,” the father said. “Kylie did that.”

She’s still piercing bull’s-eyes.

Delaney, who will soon graduate from Three Springs High School in Cheney, is now one of the top young shooters in the western United States.

The two-time Washington state champion and Junior Olympics medalist earned a scholarship to Murray State University in Kentucky, an NCAA Division I school with a rifle team annually ranked in the Top 10.

Nebraska was also interested in Delaney, who chose the much smaller Murray State because of its “down-home feel” and tutelage of decorated and longtime coach Alan Lollar.

“I’m excited to get there and see how much I can improve under a coach like that,” said Delaney, who will major in animal science.

Delaney’s custom, flower-designed rifle takes up much of her time, but far from her only extracurricular pursuit.

The straight-A student – she admits to B freshman year – worked at a day care before the coronavirus pandemic, is active in her church’s youth group and involved with Three Springs’ student council.

Social distancing mandates have made the past couple of months especially hard for the extroverted and active teen, who can also play guitar.

The prom she tried to help start at Three Rivers was canceled, as was the Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs.

Her gun range at Spokane Rifle Club recently opened, but she was “dry-firing” in her garage to stay sharp.

With a mother with several preexisting health conditions including Lyme disease, Delaney said she understood the importance of quarantine.

“Being stuck at home wasn’t fun, but I needed to be wary of the virus,” she said.

The virus ultimately robbed her graduating class of a normal graduation ceremony, but she said Three Rivers hopes to have a drive-thru commencement, during which each graduate will drive up and receive their diploma.

“I’m very ready for high school to be over. I’m ready for college,” she said. “But I’ve had some very good teachers, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”