Sgt. Simonton was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She joined the Army January 24, 2022, and shipped to BCT at Fort Sill after graduation Simonton attended 68W Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston. After completion of initial training in June 2022, Simonton was assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and the Shotgun team.
Simonton began shooting international skeet in 2015 under the direction of Craig Hancock, father of 3x Olympic gold medalist Vincent Hancock. Upon graduating from high school, Simonton moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Simonton lived and trained there for 4.5 years prior to enlisting in the Army. During her time in Colorado Springs, she earned a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in 2017, set the women’s qualification world record in 2019, and won a silver medal at the Junior World Cup in 2019. Simonton also finished 3rd at the 2020 Olympic Trials making her the first alternate for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan.
After her time in the US Army Marksmanship Unit, Simonton hopes to commission and attend medical school. She is currently attending Auburn University in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science.