ANNISTON, Ala - Three Alaska Nanook riflie alumni took one step closer on the journey toward the London 2012 Olympic Games last week as Matt Rawlings (2003-07), Matt Emmons (1999-03) and Jamie (Beyerle) Gray (2002-06) all competed and held their own in the first part of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) South Marksmanship Center.
At the completion of the 2010 and 2011 World Cup seasons, the USA Shooting Team won two Women's 10m Air Rifle quotas, two Men's 10m Air Rifle quotas and two Men's 10m Air Pistol quotas. These valuable quotas determine the number of athletes that will represent the USA in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Corporal Rawlings (Wharton, Texas) of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) was the recent gold medalist at the 2011 Pan American Games, winner of the first quota at the 2010 Championship of the Americans and the reigning National Champion. A two-time NCAA Individual Champion and eight-time All-American, Rawlings was the first American to shoot a perfect 600 points in a Men's 10m Air Rifle competition.
Two-time Olympian Matt Emmons (Browns Mill, N.J.) is looking for his second berth on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. Emmons received an Olympic nomination (pending approval by the USOC) for his success in Men's 50m Rifle Three Position and looks to demonstrate his airgun talents as well. The most decorated shooter in Alaska Rifle history, Emmons was a four-time NCAA Individual National Champion and eight-time All-American.
Gray, formerly Jamie Beyerle (Lebanaon, Pa.), like Emmons has already received an Olympic nomination (pending approval by the USOC) in Women's 50m Rifle Three Position. She is looking to assert herself in airgun competition and land one of the two spots available for the female competitors, who are likely to be separated by just tenths of a point. Like Rawlings, Gray was a two-time NCAA Individual National Champion and six-time All-American.
All three shooters played huge roles in seven of Alaska's 10 NCAA National Championship titles (2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, '06, '07).
After the first day of shooting in the Men's 10m Air Rifle, Rawlings led the race for an Olympic berth. He scored 595 match points to bring his aggregate total to 1297.2. Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.) trailed by less than two points after notching 596 match points for an aggregate of 1295.6 points.
Day Two saw Rawlings, who was heavliy favored to lead the pack heading into the Trials, fire just two-points shy of a perfect score with 598 in the match. He continued to charge ahead with 104.2 points in the final for 702.2 total points. Emmons brought his experience and tenacity to the line as he fired 595 match points and the highest final of 104.6 points. He is only 2.6 points behind Rawlings and in good position to continue his run for a second Olympic berth when the trials continue in late February.
In the Women's 10m Air Rifle, Gray sat in third place after the first day. Emily Caruso (Fairfield, Conn.) set the standard with an impressive 399 match points and brought the same focus and determination to the finals, scoring a solid 104 points for 503 total points. Texas Christian's Sarah Scherer (Worburn, Mass.) followed in second place with 395 match points but separated herself from the competition in the final with 104 match points for 499 total points. Gray's 396 match points and 102.8 points in the final for a total of 498.8 points held up for third overall heading into the second day of shooting.
Scherer fired 399 match points on Day Two and Caruso fired 395 points, while both scored a best final of 104 points, deadlocking the pair at 898 aggregate points apiece. Gray stayed in the hunt for the coveted Olympic berth, finishing just 1.8 points behind the leaders with 896.2 aggregate points after firing a 397 on the second day of competition.
For Rawlings, he is looking to become the eighth shooter associated with the Alaska Nanooks' Rifle program to reach the Olympic stage. Emmons and Beyerle were participants in the Beijing Games in 2008, while Emmons and head coach
Dan Jordan (athlete 1997-99, coach 2005-present) shot at the 2004 Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games, respectively.
2010 Nanook Hall of Fame Inductee Melissa Mulloy-Mecozzi (1997-2001) was the first former shooter to represent the Nanooks on the U.S. Team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Former Nanook coaches Glenn Dubis (Head Coach, 2002-05), David Johnson (Head Coach, 2000-02) and Pat Pitney (Assistant Coach, 1985-2000) all participated in one or more Olympics.
Emmons, Jordan and Pitney are the only three of the group to have garnered Olympic medals, with Emmons taking Gold in 2004 and Silver in 2008 in the men's prone, Jordan earning Silver in 2004 in the Men's 3x40 and Pitney striking Gold in the Women's Air Rifle at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
The former Nanooks will continue their quest for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team at the second part of the U.S Olympic Trials at the CMP's North Marksmanship Center in Camp Perry, Ohio, Feb. 23-26. The scores from the first part will be combined with those of the second part and the Olympic Team selection will be based on the aggregate of four courses of fire and two best finals.
