In an unlikely turn of events, there are not one but two leaders in Women’s 10m Air Rifle. Both Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and Emily Caruso (Fairfield, Conn.) fired identical scores after two days. The duo is two points ahead of 2008 Olympian Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.), who finished fourth in airgun in Beijing. Caruso is the most experienced shooter in the group as a two-time Olympian, but as a 21-year-old, Scherer’s youth and tenacity are not to be underestimated. Scherer and Caruso dueled at the 2008 Trials, but Caruso prevailed to earn the women’s air rifle selection. With two spots available for London, competition between these three will be fierce. Adding to the pressure is Meghann K. Morrill (Boerne, Texas) in the fourth position. Morrill ended on a high note with 399 points her second day of shooting.

Sergeant First Class Daryl Szarenski (Seale, Ala.) of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) delivered a record-setting performance in the first part of Men’s 10m Air Pistol. The three-time Olympian shot a new national record of 590 match points the first day and a very solid 584 points the second day. He is leading the field by 18.3 points and is a strong favorite for the first of the two Olympic slots. Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.), the reigning Olympic bronze medalist in the event, Will Brown (Twin Falls, Idaho) and Brian Beaman (Selby, S.D.) are in contention after the first round. As the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team representatives in the event, Turner and Beaman bring a wealth of experience to the firing line, but the fast-rising Brown will look to add his name to the mix. Turner is holding strong in second place with 1257.5 points, but Brown is within six-tenths of a point behind and eager to earn the coveted Olympic spot. Beaman is less than four points off Turner and can potentially make up those points with a strong final match.

In Women’s 10m Air Pistol, Sandra Uptagrafft (Phenix City, Ala.) is nearly 20 points ahead of the other competitors. However, the USA Shooting Team does not have a quota for Women’s 10m Air Pistol for London, so this match will not determine a women’s pistol representative.

In airgun, male and female competitors shoot 60 and 40 shots respectively during a single course of fire at electronic targets 10m (32.8 feet) down range. The maximum number of points available is 600 for men and 400 points for women with 10 being the highest score possible per shot. Male competitors are given 1 hour and 45 minutes, whereas female competitors have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete all shots. Athletes then qualify for the finals by placing in the top eight after an aggregate match score. The final for both events consists of ten shots fired on command by the Chief Range Officer. The scoring in the finals is unique from the rest of the match because decimals are counted, so the maximum number of points a competitor can earn is 109 points with 10.9 being the highest score possible per shot. Olympic Team selection will be based on the aggregate of four courses of fire and two best finals.

Spectators are welcome to attend and cheer on future Olympians. For more information on the CMP North Marksmanship Center and live results, please visit the CMP website. For updates and daily recaps, please visit the USA Shooting website, Twitter or Facebook page.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports is a collaborative, three-way partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies and the local organizing committees. All athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team must be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

For more information or for credential information, please contact Katie Yergensen at 719-866-4896 or by e-mail at katie.yergensen@usashooting.org.