Air Force Academy

Air Force Rifle Weekly Release
January 23, 2006
Air Force Rifle -- Feb. 4-5 vs. TCU
This Week: The rifle team is off until Feb. 4-5 when the team travels to Texas Christian University, where the marksmen will continue their quest for a berth to the NCAA championships in March.

Last Time Out: The Falcons competed in a two-day match against the UTEP Miners in El Paso, Jan. 21-22. The Falcons won the match 4638-4578. The Falcons' victory over the UTEP Miners is the second this season, reversing the trend of victories that the Miners had in the past few years.

As shot after shot punched through the bulls-eye, the Falcon rifle team members began to realize what they were about to do: shatter another school record en route to a victory over the UTEP Miners on Saturday.

Following the lead of team captain Tim Siemer, the Academy sharpshooters shot 2333 X 2400 in the air rifle event, with Siemer contributing 584 X 600 in the record effort. For the first time ever, all four of the varsity team members broke the 580 barrier (out of 600). Co-captain Chris Hill shot 583, Jess Palomba also scored 583, and freshman Clifton Mulkey was equal to the task with another 583.

The foursome was also strong in the smallbore event, firing a combined total of 2297 X 2400, pushing Saturday's match aggregate score to 4630 X 4800, versus the Miners' 4590.

The Falcons weren't satisfied with the record on Saturday--they bettered the air rifle record again on Sunday with 2336 X 2400. This time, Hill led the way with a personal-record performance of 589. Siemer followed with a 581, Palomba rolled in with a 580, and Mulkey notched a 586.

In addition to the sterling performance in air rifle, the Falcons improved on their Saturday results by firing a combined score of 2302 X 2400. Their aggregate score for Sunday was 4638, just three points off the Academy record, and enough to defeat the Miners by 60 points.

Recap:

• Personal bests for the Falcons:


• Siemer: 584 X 600 in Air Rifle on Saturday


• Hill: 589 X 600 in Air Rifle on Sunday


• Tom Bender: 564 X 600 in Smallbore on Saturday


• Chelsea Welsh: 571 X 600 in Air Rifle on Saturday and Sunday


• Daniel Cannard: 563 X 600 in Air Rifle on Sunday


• Brian Jarrell: 556 X 600 in Smallbore on Sunday


• Siemer shot 100 X 100 in Air Rifle on both Saturday and Sunday, a rare milestone in that event which usually only occurs at the most elite level of collegiate competition.


• Palomba also shot a 100 X 100 in Air Rifle on Saturday, and narrowly missed another 100 on Sunday when one of her shots missed the bulls-eye by less than one millimeter.


• Bender notched a 200 X 200 in the Smallbore prone event, and although not as rare as in the Air Rifle event, it was the only such score by any shooter all weekend.


• Hill shot a combined 2332 X 2400 to lead all shooters over the weekend, with Siemer close behind at 2320 X 2400.


• Welsh's 571 X 600 was her seventh Personal Record this season, a remarkable feat for a walk-on freshman.

Team Scores: Air Force: 4638 -- UTEP: 4578

AFA's Rifle Record: The rifle team is now 5-4 overall.

From The Team: "After we shot the record score on Saturday, I knew we'd do even better on Sunday. The coaches thought we might be a little flat, but there was no doubt in my mind that we'd deliver. And of course, we did," senior Chris Hill.

"I knew I was going to shoot 100 [in the Air Rifle event on Saturday] before I fired the first shot. All the work we've been doing this season has really helped boost the confidence . . . for all of us," senior Tim Siemer.

From the Coach: -- "One of the things I like best about this team is that we're continually improving. At our current pace of improvement, we're on track to be a real force in this sport. It's going to be an exciting ride between now and the NCAA Championships in March," said head coach Justin Broughton.

"We were tough from the first shot to the last. Our shooters were squeezing every point they could out if this match," commented assistant coach Lt Col Bill Roy.

Head coach Justin Broughton: Head coach Justin Broughton is in his seventh year at the helm of the Air Force rifle team. In October 2005, Broughton became the first-ever civilian rifle coach. Broughton is a 1994 Air Force Academy graduate. He was a four-year letter winner, team captain and 1994 honorable mention All-American. Coaching the Academy's rifle team since 1999, Broughton's teams have amassed a 77-136 team record with two top 10 team finishes. During this time, the Falcons competed at the NCAA Championships in 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2004.