December 4, 2017
Granbury Marine Corps JROTC rifle team members competed at the Winter Airgun Championship (WAG) on December 1-3, 2017, at the U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The contest featured top competitors from across the nation – including current and former Olympians.
Leading the Granbury contingent was Kelcy McGrath with a 1220.1 and Makenzie Sheffield with a 1219.2. Both ranked in the top 25 juniors for the week.
“This was our second time to compete at the Winter Airgun, and the cadets were only one of a few elite high school teams to participate,” commented Lt. Col. Scott Casey, the Senior Marine Instructor and rifle team coach. “This was a great experience for our shooters to shoot shoulder to shoulder with the best in the nation.”
More than four hundred competitors competed in the three-day match at the Olympic Shooting Center and temporary ranges on the Olympic Training Center complex. The competition served as part one of two in the selection process for upcoming ISSF World Cups, Championship of the Americas (CAT Games), and the ISSF World Championship for the Open division. The selection points from this competition will carry over to the second part of Airgun selection at the Spring Selection Match on March 26-30 at Fort Benning, Georgia
“Sophomore standout Clarissa Layland also proved she is a force to be reckoned with posting a personal best of 403.1 on Day 2. Also, our only freshman at the match, M’Leah Lambdin, posted an impressive 396.4 on the second day,” Casey continued. “It is nice to have this level of experience with our younger shooters. Both ladies were shooting neck and neck with college shooters, and it was fun to watch them compete at such a high level knowing they will only get better.”
Other Granbury shooters competing at the WAG were Trinity Hathaway, Alie Henry, Brittney Pinckard, Elizabeth Plecity, and Jakob Rankin.
The Granbury Rifle Team’s next match will be Friday, December 8 as they have advanced to the semi-final round in the National Air Rifle League's Championship Tournament and take on second-seed Georgia Competitive Shooters from Griffin, Georgia. This will be the second meeting for these two teams. They last meet two years ago in the league's first championship game, when the Georgia squad won that a slim two-point margin.
Pictured are (left to right) M’Leah Lambdin, Elizabeth Plecity, Makenzie Sheffield, Jakob Rankin, Brittney Pinckard, Trinity Hathaway, Clarissa Layland, Alie Henry, and Kelcy McGrath.
