Shooting Team Defeats UNM For Regional Title

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. February 2, 2011 – The New Mexico Tech shooting team defeated the University of New Mexico on Sunday to win the New Mexico Intercollegiate Smallbore and Air Rifle Team Championships.

	New Mexico Tech shooting team members who earned medals are (from left) Elizabeth Barteau, Camille Bryant and Alex Egerton.
	The shooting club members are (standing, from left) Barteau, Johnathan McGechie and David Best. In front are Egerton and Bryant. Photos courtesy of Dr. Virginia McLemore

Tech’s five team members – Alex Egerton, Elizabeth Barteau, Camile Bryant, David Best, and Jonathan McGechie -- scored 1,689 points in the smallbore rifle competition, easily outdistancing UNM’s 1,118 total.

In the air rifle competition, Tech was the only team with a full team of four, scoring 1,849 to claim the title.

Three schools fielded 10 competitors, but only two schools had enough competitors for the four-man team in the smallbore rifle event.

This is the first year New Mexico hosted the Intercollegiate Sectional Championship in air rifle and smallbore rifle events. Each competitor shoots 60 rounds standing in the air rifle event. In the smallbore rifle event, each shooter fires 20 rounds in each of three positions: prone, standing, kneeling.

The air rifle event is at a distance of 10 meters and the smallbore rifle event is at 50 feet. Both events are held at indoor shooting ranges. The scores from each team member for each individual event are added together to make the team score.

Kaitlyn Martin of New Mexico State University won both individual events, but Tech students placed second and third in both events. Alex Egerton was second and Elizabeth Barteau was third in the individual air rifle championship. They swapped finishing spots in the smallbore rifle championship.

Since no New Mexico universities compete under NCAA guidelines, the three schools compete as college clubs. As New Mexico sectional champions, Tech’s scores will be compared with other clubs that competed in sectional championship to form the National Intercollegiate Sectional Championship.

The top 30 individuals and top 10 club teams will be invited to the NRA National Intercollegiate Championships at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., in early April.

The club meets from 5 to 7 p.m. every Monday at the gym. All Tech students are welcome to join the club. The team practices from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. most Fridays, also at the gym.

The team is preparing for several rifle competitions and the New Mexico Air Rifle Championship. The New Mexico Shooting Sports Club has numerous additional events.

For more information, contact club president T.J. Chavez at tjhitmenbaseball2@yahoo.com, instructor Jim McLemore at jmclemore@prrc.nmt.edu or coach/faculty sponsor Dr. Virginia McLemore at ginger@gis.nmt.edu.

-- NMT --

By Dr. Virginia McLemore/New Mexico Tech