Air Force Academy

Air Force Rifle Weekly Release
February 5, 2006
Air Force Rifle -- NCAA Qualifiers, Feb. 11-12
This Week: The Academy's rifle team will host the 2006 NCAA Qualifiers at the Cadet Gymnasium rifle range on Feb. 11-12. Start time is 7 a.m. MTN.

Last Time Out: The rifle team competed in a two-day match with the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas on Feb. 3-4. For the third match in a row, the Falcons set a new Academy record as they out shot the Horned Frogs, 4642-4546 (out of 4800).

Bettering the previous record by one point, the Falcons continued their quest to qualify for the NCAA Championships and establish themselves as a major force in the sport. Co-captain Chris Hill led the way with standout performances in both the air rifle and smallbore events. His 583 X 600 in air rifle was good for second place, and his score of 588 X 600 in smallbore won the event. Hill's combined score of 1171 X 1200 is the highest of his Academy career, as well as the top score of any cadet this season.

NCAA Championships: The Falcons are attempting to qualify for the NCAA Championships by accumulating points during their top-scoring home match plus two matches away from home. The top eight teams in the country are guaranteed an invitation to the championships, which will be held at the USOC on March 10-11.

Recap:

• Co-Captain C1C Tim Siemer won the smallbore event with a 584. By adding a 572 in the air rifle event, he achieved a cumulative score of 1156 X 1200 or better for the fourth match in a row.


• Senior Hill shot a 100 X 100 during his Air rifle event, one of three shot by the Falcons during this match, a feat never accomplished by this team.


• Junior Jessica Palomba also shot a 100 X 100 en route to her 584. The score was her third of the year, which is the most fired by any Falcon so far this year.


• Junior Clifton Mulkey shot the teams third 100 X 100 while notching a 587.


• Freshman Chelsea Welsh shot a PR for the eighth match this season when she fired a 577. The walk-on has shown tremendous progress throughout the season.

Team Scores: Air Force: 4642 -- TCU: 4546

AFA's Rifle Record: The rifle team is now 6-4 overall.

From The Team: "I didn't shoot well in the smallbore event, so I really felt an urgency to deliver in air rifle. I started out strong, and just putting the shots in the middle. It felt great to bounce back when the pressure was on," Clifton Mulkey.

"This record was the result of a tremendous team effort. When one of us was down, the others were shooting up. This team has tremendous synergy that gives us all strength and confidence way beyond our individual abilities," Tim Siemer.

From the Coach: "The team did a fantastic job in Texas."

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.

Result Sheets: The result sheets were not available.