Post date: May 4, 2015 6:43:04 AM
Tim O'Donnell Todonnell@newsminer.com
FAIRBANKS—JT Schnering led a group of eight Interior shooters with a top-30 showing on the first day of the USA Shooting National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships on Friday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Lathrop High School shooter fired a 607.3 in the first round of the air rifle competition at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Schnering finished 29th in the 196-person match.
The air rifle competition continues today with the smallbore competition beginning later today. The smallbore competition runs through Tuesday.
Schnering was the only Interior shooter to finish in the top 50. Connor Gilman, a fellow Lathrop shooter, finished just outside the top 50 with a 56th-place effort after shooting a 598.3.
Liam Eberhart, another Lathrop shooter, finished 77th after shooting a 593.4 on Friday.
North Pole’s Zachary Andrews, Delta Junction’s Alex Matthews and Hutchison’s Mason Falkner all finished with five points of each other on Friday. Andrews shot a 589.7 to finish 103rd with Matthews following in 111th after shooting a 587.6.
Falkner fired a 584.6 on Friday and sits in 126th entering today’s competition.
Falkner’s Hutchison teammate, Charlie McNeill, holds 142nd place after shooting a 582.2 on Friday. Delta Junction’s Miles Patton fired a 575.5 and sits in 164th.
Eagle River’s Tristan Henderson sits in 70th place after shooting at 596.3 on Friday while West Anchorage’s Christian Williams shot a 568 and finished 184th.