Colorado Springs, CO -(AmmoLand.com)- An exciting Men’s Rifle competition got the 2016 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships (NJOSC) with Will Shaner proving that age is less important than hard work and dedication in capturing two national titles as a 14-year-old.
Now, it’s time for the nation’s top junior women rifle shooters to showcase their skills with competition in Colorado Springs, Colorado getting underway Saturday. More than 215 female athletes are expected to compete in what will be both a glimpse into USA Shooting’s present and future.
Some of those competing could potentially vie for a potential Olympic Team spot at the upcoming Olympic Team Trials for Airgun. One confirmed NJOSC participant, Virginia Thrasher, already had to withdraw from competition when she made the Olympic Team April 4 in Three-Position Rifle. She’s competing in the World Cup event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that starts Saturday. High School sensation Rhiann Travis also got the invite to participate at the Rio World Cup causing her to miss NJOSC as well.
Despite the absence of Thrasher Travis, there’s still a talented field of competitors set to make their mark including National Junior Team members Hanna Carr (University of Kentucky)/Versailles, Kentucky) and Mindy Miles (Texas Christian University)/ Weatherford, Texas). A Wildcat freshman, Carr emerged onto the NCAA Rifle scene in a big way this past season shooting two of the three best qualifying scores in smallbore after being the NJOSC silver medalist in the event a year ago. A TCU sophomore, Miles is the reigning Junior National Champion in Air Rifle and finished second in the event at the recent NCAA Rifle Championships.
Another NCAA rifle shooter to watch out for will include Miles’ TCU teammate Rachel Garner(Celina, Texas), who earned a bronze medal in smallbore at the NCAAs. Also, Murray State University freshman MacKenzie Martin (Fairhaven, Massachusetts) just missed a medal at NCAAs with a fourth-place finish in Air Rifle and has a collection of NJOSC medals previously including smallbore bronze in 2012. The 2014 NJOSC Air Rifle champion Abby Votava (Colorado Springs, Colorado) hopes to shoot her way back onto the medal stand this year.
Five High School standouts and Junior National Team members will be among the mix of NJOSC title contenders including the returning Air and Three-Position NJOSC Champion Elizabeth Marsh (Searcy, Arkansas) along with her Pan American Games teammate Sarah Osborn (Hampton, Virginia). Also, Emily Stith (Colorado Springs, Colorado) has showcased phenomenal results recently, good enough to earn an opportunity to shoot for a Minimum Qualifying Score (MQS) at the season’s first World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand earlier this month. Morgan Phillips (Salisbury, Maryland) will also compete as the Junior Nationals silver medalist in Three-Position. She’s coming off an Olympic Trials performance in smallbore that saw her finish fifth. Also, keep an eye out for National Junior Team member Sarah Sutton (Oak Harbor, Ohio) after her win at the 2015 National Three-Position Air Rifle National Championships last summer.
2016 NJOSC Schedule:
- April 16-17 – Women’s Three-Position Rifle
- April 18-19 – Women’s Air Rifle
- April 22 – Men’s Sport Pistol
- April 23 – Women’s Sport Pistol
- April 24-25 – Men’s & Women’s Air Pistol
Click here beginning Saturday for Live target scoring for Women’s Rifle.
About USA Shooting:
USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting’s mission is to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country.
Check us out on the web at usashooting.org and on Twitter at twitter.com/USAShooting.