Nearly 400 competitors finished the match in Southern Utah, with international shooters making a statement on American soil
The 2025 PCSL 2-Gun Nationals wrapped Sunday evening in Hurricane, Utah, capping three days of competition across 13 stages at Southern Utah Practical Shooting Range. When the dust settled, two names stood atop the leaderboard: AJ Anthony in Competition Division and Slovakia’s Pavol Ženčár in Practical. Both took the win in their respective divisions—their aggregate performance across all 13 stages set the pace for the weekend.
Anthony’s win was a year in the making. At last year’s Nationals, he finished second at 99.67%, just 0.33 percentage points behind defending champion Kyle Litzie. This year, he erased that gap completely—posting 2,604.66 total points to Varick Beise’s 2,554.41 in second place. Litzie dropped to third with 2,467.10 points (94.72%), more than 137 points off the pace. That’s a decisive swing from last year’s razor-thin margins.
Ženčár’s story is even more compelling. He traveled from Slovakia after finishing 7th overall in 2024 at 93.01%. This year in Practical Division, he posted 2,598.92 points to edge Match Director Max Leograndis (2,557.23 points, 98.4%) by about 42 points. Brian Nelson, who won Practical in 2024, dropped to fourth with 2,394.81 points (92.15%)—more than 200 points behind the winner.
1. AJ Anthony — 2,604.66 pts (100%)
2. Varick Beise — 2,554.41 pts (98.07%)
3. Kyle Litzie — 2,467.10 pts (94.72%)
4. Tony Mazza — 2,423.45 pts (93.04%)
5. Alec Henderson — 2,376.12 pts (91.23%) — Active Duty Military
6. Tim Powell — 2,346.45 pts (90.09%) — Active Duty Military
7. Matt Downing — 2,345.37 pts (90.05%) — Active Duty Military
8. Joseph Wyshel — 2,332.76 pts (89.56%)
9. Matt Gallant — 2,290.04 pts (87.92%)
10. Duncan Cline — 2,281.26 pts (87.58%)
1. Pavol Ženčár (Slovakia) — 2,598.92 pts (100%)
2. Max Leograndis — 2,557.23 pts (98.4%)
3. Mason Lane — 2,477.85 pts (95.34%)
4. Brian Nelson — 2,394.81 pts (92.15%)
5. Amadeusz Szyszka (Poland) — 2,341.28 pts (90.09%) — Active Duty Military
6. Zack Smith — 2,333.45 pts (89.79%)
7. Stephen Norvelle — 2,320.52 pts (89.29%) — Active Duty Military
8. Nils Jonasson — 2,304.21 pts (88.66%)
9. Travis McCamish — 2,262.16 pts (87.04%)
10. Ken Ogren — 2,239.92 pts (86.19%)
Top Lady (Competition): Jalise Williams — 1,942.49 pts / 74.58% (48th overall)
Top Lady (Practical): Justine Williams — 2,006.54 pts / 77.21% (34th overall)
Top Junior: Eda Slavík (Czech Republic) — 1,639.70 pts / 63.09% (97th Practical)
Top Senior (Competition): Mike Shelton — 1,791.48 pts / 68.78% (74th overall)
Top Senior (Practical): Barry Dueck — 1,735.12 pts / 66.76% (82nd overall)
Top Active Duty (Competition): Alec Henderson — 2,376.12 pts / 91.23% (5th overall)
Top Active Duty (Practical): Amadeusz Szyszka — 2,341.28 pts / 90.09% (5th overall)
Going into the match, the Competition Division storyline was straightforward: could AJ Anthony close the 0.33% gap that separated him from Kyle Litzie in 2024? The answer was emphatic. Anthony posted 2,604.66 points to take the overall win, while Litzie dropped to third with 2,467.10 points—a 137-point gap. Varick Beise moved into second with 2,554.41 points (98.07%), jumping from 5th place in 2024 where he’d posted 94.8%. The 2026 Competition Division race just got a lot more interesting.
Slovakia’s Pavol Ženčár winning Practical Division outright is the story of this match. He traveled from Europe, competed against America’s best tactical shooters, and posted 2,598.92 points to take the overall win. Behind him, Poland’s Amadeusz Szyszka finished 5th with 2,341.28 points (90.09%)—and he did it shooting iron sights. Czech Junior competitor Eda Slavík placed 97th overall with 1,639.70 points while competing against adults. The European contingent came prepared, and they made their mark on American soil.
Look at the Competition Division top 10 and you’ll see three Active Duty Military shooters in positions 5-7: Alec Henderson (91.23%), Tim Powell (90.09%), and Matt Downing (90.05%). In Practical Division, Szyszka took 5th and Stephen Norvelle took 7th. The military competitors came to compete, and the format clearly suits shooters with professional firearms backgrounds.
In 2024, Justine Williams edged out her sister Jalise for Top Lady in Competition Division. This year, they went separate directions: Justine moved to Practical Division and won Top Lady there at 77.21% (34th overall), while Jalise stayed in Competition and claimed that division’s Lady title at 74.58% (48th overall). Both sisters walked away with hardware—just in different divisions.
Running a 400-competitor national championship is a full-time job. Finishing second in Practical Division at 98.4% while doing it is something else entirely. Match Director Max Leograndis—the eight-time and only USPSA PCC National Champion—proved he can still hang with the best while managing logistics for one of the largest 2-Gun matches in the country.
Rumor has it: Max withdrew his placement for final standings, but it still exists in practiscore and that’s our gospel for this piece.
Adam Riser and Adam Maxwell from the On The Perf podcast both competed this year, returning to St. George exactly one year after recording their first podcast episodes at the same venue. Maxwell achieved the consistency he was looking for, while Riser battled equipment failure—his gas key broke on the very first shot of the match—and finished 30th in Competition despite shooting with the flu. Both called it “the best two-gun match” they’ve shot all year.
Post-match survey feedback from competitors echoed that sentiment. Multiple respondents described the stages as “exceptional” and “technical but still easy to digest.” One competitor called it “the best match of the year” and praised the use of mini targets. Another noted the match “has gotten better each year” over three consecutive attendances.
Multiple competitors flagged the sun as the most challenging environmental factor. Survey respondents described it as “brutal,” with one bluntly noting that “the orientation of the range absolutely blows.” Temperatures ranged from the low 40s in the morning to the 50s by afternoon—cold enough that shooting all-steel pistols first thing in the morning wasn’t particularly pleasant, but manageable overall.
PCSL’s squad shoot-off format—where winners determine prize selection order—drew mixed reactions. Most competitors loved the format itself. One respondent noted that “everyone gets shoot-off experience” under this format. Another called it “very fun,” though acknowledged their perspective “comes from winning it.”
The controversy centered on prize distribution. Several top finishers expressed frustration that placement didn’t determine prize table access. Multiple survey responses called for “prize table by order of finish” as “paramount,” with one competitor noting disappointment in the current system. Another pointed out that top-level competitors likely won prizes worth far less than their match fees. The suggestion from multiple competitors: either order-of-finish prize selection for the top 15-25%, or a traditional prize table walk.
Hunter Constantine’s “Constantine Most Wanted” bounty program was in play at this year’s Nationals—Constantine himself finished 36th in Competition with 2,008.36 points (77.11%). The bounty rewards shooters who run the entire match from concealment using a Constantine Carry Belt, with rifle magazines exempt from concealment requirements under PCSL rules.
For 2026, the bounty program is expanding with even bigger payouts. If you’re considering running concealment gear anyway, it’s worth checking the requirements at constantinemostwanted.com to see if you can stack some extra winnings on top of your match performance.
Total Finishers: 388 (207 Competition, 169 Practical, 12 DQs)
Stages: 13 + squad shoot-off
International Competitors: Representatives from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia
Location: Southern Utah Practical Shooting Range, Hurricane, UT
PCSL continues to establish itself as the premier 2-Gun format in the country. The 2026 season is already filling up—some matches are waitlisted before registration even opens. If you haven’t tried the format yet, search Practiscore for PCSL matches in your area. Local clubs are adopting the open-source ruleset, and the learning curve is forgiving for shooters coming from other disciplines.
As for next year’s Nationals, expect another stacked field. Anthony has a target on his back now. Ženčár proved international competitors can compete at the highest level. And somewhere, Kyle Litzie is already planning his comeback.
Related Coverage:
Practiscore Results: https://practiscore.com/results/new/314887
PCSL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcs_league/
On The Perf Podcast Episode 53 (PCSL Nationals Breakdown): linktr.ee/ontheperf
Constantine Belt Bounty Program: constantinemostwanted.com
