United States Merchant Marine Academy

John “Mike” Novak ’74 was a four-year letterwinner in pistol and served as the team’s captain during his senior campaign. Novak earned many honors while also setting national records. 1974 proved to be the best year for Novak and the pistol squad. That year, he led the team to its first undefeated season in USMMA history. For his efforts, he was named a First-Team NRA All-American in Intercollegiate Pistol while setting the NRA National Pistol record in 1974 for standard pistol (.22 caliber at 25 meters), scoring 532 points out of a possible 600. Novak also helped lead the team to an Individual Pistol No. 2 overall national ranking and an ROTC Pistol No. 1 ranking.