Raquelle Justice is the Washington State Women's Air Rifle Champion, Team Takes 2nd Place
Walla Walla High School’s JROTC Precision Rifle Team member Cadet Captain Raquelle Justice captured the Washington State Women’s Air Rifle state championship at the Spokane Rifle Club in a contest that pitted 43 of the state’s top precision class rifle marksmen against each other. Shooters competed in two disciplines, air rifle and smallbore for state honors and a chance to represent their state at the Junior Olympic National Championship matches to be held at Hillsdale College in Michigan this May.
The Blue Devils competed in two matches; an air rifle match in the morning that consisted of 60 timed shots from the unsupported standing position, and a 3-position .22 rifle match where contestants fire 20 shots each from the prone, standing, and kneeling positions.
“Junior Olympics is always a long day for these athletes” commented WAHI Rifle Team Coach Mark Mebes “By the end of the day, they’ve been shooting for nearly 6 hours. Emerging successful here takes a lot of training and unwavering focus.”
WaHi’s Air Rifle Team consisting of Justice, Cadet Captain Ben Nelson and Cadet Captain Tristan Scott finished the event with a team score of 1661, putting them in second place for the state just behind Spokane Junior Rifle Club who produced a 1703. Justice’s gold medal performance garnered 557 out of a possible 600 points, placing her 5 points ahead of silver medalist Madison Thompson from Oak Harbor. WaHi’s top shooter in the match was Scott, last year’s Washington State Men’s champion, who shot a 558 against stiff competition this year and finished in 4th place for the state.
In the smallbore rifle match that afternoon, Justice emerged as the Blue Devil’s top shooter with a 535, a personal record for her, claiming a bronze medal in the statewide competition. WaHi’s smallbore team, consisting of Justice, Cadet Major Maximus Malone, Cadet Lieutenant Micah Vawter and Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Kaden Kerr ended the day on a 2054 for a 2nd place finish, behind Spokane Rifle Club.
“Invitations to the National Match will go out later this winter,” said Blue Devil Team Captain Benjamin Nelson “Raquelle will almost certainly get an invite as the Women’s State Champion and Tristan may get an invitation as well, depending where the national results place them.”
The Blue Devils returned home to begin training for a pair of national matches they qualified for earlier this season; the US Army Junior Air Rifle Championship in Fort Benning, Georgia in January and the Army JROTC National Rifle Championship in Sandy, Utah in February.
