Rifle Places Fourth at GARC Championships

Friday, February 26

Oxford, MS

9 AM

Army West Point

GARC Championships

Rifle Places Fourth at GARC Championships

February 28, 2016 | Rifle

OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 12 Army West Point rifle team had a strong showing at the GARC Championships over the weekend. The Black Knights placed fourth out of nine teams with 4648 in aggregate score, finishing behind North Carolina State by just three points for third. West Virginia claimed the team title with a 4702 aggregate and Kentucky was second at 4677.

"I really wish the season was three weeks longer because we really hit our stride at the end," said Army head coach Web Wright. "There were several people - coaches and friends whom I respect - that came up to me and congratulated us for how we did this match. One said, 'it's great to see Army back in the mix again.'"

Junior Marvin Lewis and freshman Nathan Brewer each cracked the top ten in smallbore as both shot a 581 score and made the smallbore finals. Lewis finished seventh in the event and Brewer eighth, the deciding factor being that Lewis had 32 center shots compared to Brewer's 31. As a team, Army placed third with a score of 2310, just four points behind runner-up No. 3 Kentucky.

"We put two athletes in the final in smallbore, which was encouraging because at the beginning of the season my goal was to get our smallbore performance to a higher level," stated Wright. "The work we put in this season paid off. We almost outscored Kentucky which has been one of the more dominant teams in the last decade."

The Black Knights had three strong performers in air rifle. Junior Danielle Cuomo led the way with a 588 score which placed her in 14th. Senior Alyssa Gestl and Lewis each shot a 587 which left them in 18th and 19th respectively. Army placed sixth as a team in air with a 2338 score. While she wasn't a part of the counters for Army, junior Libby Mostert also posted a 587 score in air rifle.

"I was also pleased with the air rifle scores. Alyssa, Libby, Marvin and Danielle all shot in the upper 580's," said Wright. "It was good to see the cumulative improvement over the season to reach this point."

Two Cadets still have one more meet left this season. Brewer and Gestl each qualified for the NCAA Championships. Brewer will be competing in the smallbore while Gestl, making her third trip to the NCAA's, is shooting in air rifle.

"Solid performances by everyone," summarized Wright. "I could not be more proud of the team. But we all still know we can get even better. Alyssa, our only Firstie, shot a 10.8 on her last shot. It was a good way for her to end the regular season and to get ready for NCAAs in two weeks."

For up-to-date information on Army rifle visit GoArmyWestPoint.com or follow @ArmyWP_Rifle on Twitter.