Air Rifle Championship field set
(Photo by Clay Lomneth)

Air Rifle Championship field set

Two days of competition have determined the 16 finalists for The American Legion’s 25th annual Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship. Eight finalists in both the precision and sporter categories will compete for the title.

The finals will take place at 9 a.m. MT Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. To follow final-round scoring online, click here.

In the precision category, Rhiann Travis of Texas has opened up a 11-point lead on second-place Mitchell Van Patten of Idaho. Van Patten was the 2011 sporter champion.

In the sporter competition, Adam McClintock of Arizona has a 10-point advantage over both Gabriel Palermo (Illinois) and Larry Maloney (California).

The winner from each category will receive a $5,000 scholarship funded by The American Legion and the Sons of The American Legion. And for the first time this year, the second place winner in each category will receive a $1,000 scholarship funded by the Auxiliary.

The eight finalists in each category, with their sponsor and current score:

Precision

Rhiann Travis – Parker County 4-H Shooting Sports in Texas, 2,385 points.

Mitchell Van Patten – Meridian Optimist Junior Rifle Club in Idaho, 2,374

Emily Stith – Capital City Junior Rifle Club in Washington, D.C., 2,365

Casey Lutz – Meridian Optimist Junior Rifle Club in Idaho, 2,358

Jacob Buchanan – Montgomery County 4-H Shooting Sports Club in Texas, 2,356

Amy Gentry – Tanana Valley Sportsmen's Association in Alaska, 2,355

Jack Anderson – Oil City Junior Rifle Team in Pennsylvania, 2,353

Grace Taschuk – Post 435 X-Men in Minnesota, 2,353

Sporter

Adam McClintock – Flowing Wells High School in Arizona, 2,234

Gabriel Palermo – Freeport High School NJROTC in Illinois, 2,224

Larry Maloney – Turlock High School NJROTC in California, 2,224

Baylee Boone – R-S Central MCJROTC Sporter in North Carolina, 2,222

Tyler Jetjomlong – Post 151 in New York, 2,209

Howard Norrish – Zion Benton High School NJROTC in Wisconsin, 2,205

Jackson Thompson – Sapulps High School MCJROTC in Oklahoma, 2,201

Justine Hamilton – Zion Benton High School NJROTC in Wisconsin, 2,194