The Nevada Sagebrush

Dempster Christenson lacked the athletic ability to play soccer or basketball when he was a kid, so he started shooting a gun.

“I wasn’t good at sports,”Christenson, 18, said, “I wasn’t cut out for running.”

It seemed his athletic career was over before it started, but then his dad introduced him to a meter-long device with a barrel.

“I just wanted to try something else,”Christenson said. “My dad had started hunting at a local shooting range. I tried it out and I found out that I was decent.”

Christenson’s dad would spend hours at the range with his son encouraging him to do better. Christenson started to improve rapidly so his father got him into competitive shooting.

After attending various camps, Christenson’s career soared. He was named to the Olympic Development team during the summer and won the air rifle event at the Junior Olympics this past April. The Sioux Fall, S.D. native was set to become the next big star in the world of rifling.

Since joining Nevada, Christenson has emerged as a leader for the Wolf Pack. In a huge win against No. 4 Nebraska, he led the team in both the air rifle and the small bore, scoring a 594 and 585. The following week, he scored a 587 air rifle and 583 small bore, the highest score of the day, as the Wolf Pack achieved a 4660 score, its new season high in a win against the University of Texas, El Paso.

However, for Christenson, the road to becoming a member of the Nevada Wolf Pack has been anything but simple.

Christenson was not highly recruited after high school despite doing very well at precision shooting competitions and wowing instructors at various training camps. Nevada, who normally doesn’t look east of the Rockies, didn’t contact him at all.

“I was invited to speak at a convention in Reno and I found out that (Nevada) had a rifle program,”he said. “I took my own tour and was able to speak with the coach.”

He applied for a scholarship after he was accepted, but there was one small problem.

“The application for a scholarship was due in August, while the school applications were due in December,”Christenson said. That meant coach Fred Harvey had already named his team.

Luckily, there was one spot left, so Christenson walked on.

For some, the adjustment to college sports can be a tough transition. The pressure could be even greater when the expectation is for someone to step up to replace Nevada rifle’s 2007 star Meghann Morrill, who was named to the United States National team last year. For Christenson, it was nothing but another minor roadblock.

And although this season has just gotten underway, he’s making quite the impression on his teammates.

“It’s amazing; he’s killing,”Nevada rifle captain Andrew Hickey said. “I’ve never seen anyone shoot this well coming into college.”

Not only is Christenson performing well early on, he’s excelling when the Wolf Pack need him the most.

“He’s got balls,”Hickey said. “He’s performing under pressure.”

Despite all the success, Christenson remains grounded.

“I didn’t expect to do quite so well,”Christenson said. “But it’s a real pick me up.”

Led by Christenson, the Wolf Pack believes a national title is within reach.

“We have to perform on the road, but I believe that we can win,”Harvey said.

No matter what happens this year, one thing is certain.

“He’s the future,”Hickey said.

But, although he is flying high now, he still has to learn a few things.

“He needs to show leadership,”Harvey said. “There’s no doubt that he will be a team captain, now he has to look at what (Hickey) is doing and do at least that, and if at all possible, improve on it.”

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