Air Force Rifle Regular Season Wrap
3/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Rifle
Team Video
Air Force Rifle Team Regular Season Wrap 2016-2017
The Air Force rifle team concluded the 2016-2017 season fourth in the Patriot Rifle Conference (5-6) and had a 19-9 (.670) season record. Following the PRC Championships on Feb. 4-5, two Air Force members were named all-conference in air rifle. Sophomore Spencer Cap placed second, and freshman Logan Ogden was third in the conference. The season was capped off with a new team record 4704 scored in the NCAA qualifier match against TCU on Feb. 18, 2017, and followed by the team's selection to the NCAA Rifle Championships in March.
Following the PRC Championships, the Falcons traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 18 for the qualifier match versus TCU. The Falcons kept the scores close, only losing by one point 2333-2334 in small bore. In the air rifle, TCU only led by three points (2371-2374). In the final team score, it was Air Force 4704, TCU 4708. The Falcons' team score set a new school record under Head Coach Launi Meili.
In 2016, the rifle team opened the season on the road with a match against Alaska and TCU in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Oct. 8. The match was the best season opener for the Falcons as they set a new team record by 11 points with a 4698. Senior Ryan Jacobs was the team's top performer in both rifles, setting an overall career best in the small bore, air rifle, and aggregate score. Air Force finished with 2328 points in small bore and 2370 in air rifle. TCU finished with a 4709, while Alaska came in with 4679 points.
In the match, with the team's highest scores, Jacobs had a 587 in small bore and 595 in air rifle. His aggregate score was 1182. Newcomer Logan Ogden scored a small bore 582 in his first match against a conference opponent. He had a 592 in air rifle and an aggregate 1174. Sophomore Nick Learn scored a 573 in small bore. Sophomore Anna Weilbacher also shot well scoring a 582 in small bore and 593 air rifle to finish with an aggregate 1175. Junior Spencer Brandon scored a 579 small bore and a 590 air rifle (1169). Sophomore Spencer Cap fired a 577 small bore score and 589 air rifle (1166).
Following the trip to Alaska, the Falcons returned home for two days of PRC matches on Oct. 22-23. Air Force went 2-0 against conference opponents No. 12 Nevada and No. 17 UTEP. In the triangular match, the Falcons won 4673 to Nevada's 4643 and UTEP's 4622. The following day, the Falcons (4696) went 2-0 again against Nevada (4646) and UTEP (4622).
In November, Air Force was host to the President's Trophy Match against Army, Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard (Nov. 5, 2016). The Falcons won the President's Trophy for the third year in a row (four out of the last five years) and set a new President's Trophy record (5858) for the second-straight year (5839 in 2015). In NCAA scoring (top four team scores), Air Force won 4698, Army 4646, Navy 4607 and Coast Guard 4474. Cap set a school record 598 in the air rifle.
The team suffered two losses at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 12-13. On Saturday, the Falcons lost 4712-4684, and on Sunday, they lost 4728-4679. Cap was the Falcons' top individual shooter in both matches with final scores of 1179 and 1175, respectively. Cap scored a 585 small bore career high. Ogden shot a 594 in air rifle, which was his career high. Freshman Kyle Cox had a career-high in the air rifle (567).
The two matches closed out the first half of the regular season. On Dec. 2-4, the rifle team competed in the 2016 Winter Airgun Championships (WAG) at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. At the WAG, Cap claimed two silver medals in the men's junior championships. On the final day, he scored a 246.4 in the finals to become the WAG junior champion. Ogden, with a 223.8 in finals, won bronze in the juniors.
In 2017, returning for the spring, No. 4 Air Force went 1-1 in the year's opening match at home versus PRC opponent No. 6 Ohio State and No. 14 Jacksonville State on Jan. 14. Weilbacher was the Falcons' leading scorer overall in the match. Her aggregate score (1184) and small bore score (592) were both career highs and school records.
On Jan. 28-29, the Falcons spent the weekend in Charleston, S.C., to shoot matches against The Citadel, No. 20 North Georgia, VMI, and Wofford. The Falcons won on both days as a result of several top scores from Air Force shooters. On Saturday, Air Force won 6-0. In NCAA scoring, Air Force had 2321 in small bore and 2355 in air rifle (4676). The Falcons' top individuals in the match were Weilbacher, with an aggregate score of 1174, and Jacobs with 1171 points. Cap followed with 1169. In small bore, Ogden had 1162 while scoring a 583 for a career best. Jacobs shot a 594 in the air rifle and had a perfect 200 on his first two targets.
The following day, the Falcons competed against the Citadel and the Bulldogs' women's squad. Air Force won the match finishing 20 points higher than the previous day's score. In small bore, the Falcons had a 2326 and followed that score with 2370 in air rifle (4696). Jacobs was the leading scorer in the match, finishing with 1180. He had a 587 in small bore and 593 in air rifle, which led all competitors in scoring. Leading in the next six top positions were: Ogden with 1174, Weilbacher's 1173, Cap's 1169, Learn's 1162 and Brandon's 1145.
In February, Air Force finished 4704 - TCU 4708 for the qualifier. The NCAA qualifier started with the small bore contest. With a career best, Cap shot a 587, one point above TCU's Casey Lutz. Jacobs and two of TCU's shooters split with 583 points, but with more center shots, Jacobs finished third ahead of the TCU shooters who finished fourth and fifth in the match. Ogden and TCU's Mindy Miles, one the nation's top shooters, scored a 582. Ogden, with more center shots, finished sixth ahead of Miles. Weilbacher split with Ariana Grabowski from TCU with 581 points. Weilbacher finished in eighth place and Grabowski was ninth. The Falcons' official scoring squad finished 2333 to TCU's 2334.
In air rifle, Jacobs led in the top air rifle individual standings with a 596, which is his career best. He finished second in the overall standings with an aggregate 1179. Cap led the top individual standings with an aggregate 1181, he had a 594 in air rifle. His total score tied his career aggregate. The Falcons' Weilbacher and Ogden also ranked in the top 10 of the individual air rifle standings. With a 592, Weilbacher scored an aggregate 1173, Ogden had a 589 and finished with 1171. The Falcons' finished 2371 in air rifle, TCU won the match with 2374.
