16 shooters advance to final round

On Friday, 15 competitors in both the sporter and precision category spent long hours inside the USA Shooting Range at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., for The American Legion's 21st annual Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship. The only sound that could be heard was the firing of .177 caliber air rifles.

Throughout the day, the 30 competitors took aim in three positions: prone, kneeling and standing. Scores were immediately calculated after each position and by late afternoon the top eight contestants in each category were announced. However, there was a tie for eighth position in the precision category between Jason Sharbel and Nathan Brandenbur. So to finalize the eighth competitor, the two young men will conduct a shoot-off before the championship round begins Saturday morning.

The following 16 individuals will compete in the championship round:

Sporter category1. Renz Ibarra - Zion, Ill.2. Mitchell Van Patten - Meridian, Idaho3. Maneva Gill - Pacifica, Calif.4. Alexandrea Provine - Tucson, Ariz.5. Michael Stroud - Des Moines, Iowa6. Jessica Haskins - Fort Worth, Texas7. Timothy Teller - Chandler, Ariz.8. Kimberly Heitmeyer - King George, Va.

Precision category1. Daniel Lowe - Olympia, Wash. 2. Kirsten Moyer - Albuquerque, N.M.3. Kelsey Moral - Sharpsburg, Ga.4. Caleb Nelsen - Ashland, Ohio5. Adam Grumbling - Sharpsburg,Ga.6. Rachel Martin - Peralta, N.M.7. Denise Martin - Colville, Wash.8. Jason Sharbel-Montgomery, Ala. and Nathan Brandenbur-Annville, Penn.

Keep updated on the 2011 National Championship results by clicking here.