Air Force Academy

May 27, 2010

Junior Thomas Chandler was named the rifle team's most valuable cadet in marksmanship. Chandler finished the season with a 2558.6 aggregate in the fall, winter and spring air gun championships and finished 13th at the 2009 Winter Air Gun Championships in December 2009. He went on to a ninth-place finish at the World Air Gun Team tryouts. AFA's top shooter in the 2010 NCAA Qualifier match against TCU (588/600 air rifle; 580 in smallbore) and had the team's highest scores in both guns versus The Citadel with a 588 in air rifle and 581 in smallbore. Chandler also broke two school team records during the President's Trophy Match at West Point and had the highest aggregate air rifle score for an AFA shooter with a 592/600 and the highest overall score of the match. He also had the highest total aggregate of 1,178, previously set in 2006.

2009-10 Rifle Recap: Throughout the year, the rifle team had several highs and lows that accumulated into a 7-11 season record after competing against some of the country's toughest nationally ranked teams. In 2010, the Falcons' had the best season finished since Launi Meili took over as the head coach. Throughout the season, the Falcons were consistently at or above the 4600 mark. Air Force finished the 2010 regular season with a 7-11 season record. While several marksmen finished the year with season-high scores, it was a bittersweet ending for the Falcons as the team finished the season without an NCAA qualifier. Although Air Force competed against some of the country's toughest and nationally ranked teams, the lost to TCU in the NCAA qualifier left the team two points shy of their goal to make it to the nationals.