U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Public Affairs Office
FORT BENNING, Ga. - Fourteen soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit won positions on the U. S. Shooting Team that will represent the United States at the 48th World Shooting Championship that will take place in July at Lahti, Finland. The U. S. team trials attracted hundreds of shooters from around the country and were conducted at both Fort Benning, on March 20-24, and at the Tom Lowe Olympic Shooting Complex near Atlanta, on May 5 to 17. The entire U. S. World Championship Team will include 32 male, 23 female and 49 junior shooters.
In the World Championship Team Selection skeet event, 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist SFC James Graves won first while 2001 World Skeet Champion SFC Shawn Dulohery took second. Both soldiers won slots on the team. In the trap event trial, two-time Olympian SFC Brett Erickson finished first and was named to the World Championship Team.
"It's always nice to make the team and beat the youngsters who have been dominating the sport," Erickson said. "I won a Silver Medal at the last World Championships and I won Gold in 1990 in Russia; it would be nice to do it again. The competition at the World Championships is tough; it's at least three times bigger than the Olympics in participation."
 1996 Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Theresa DeWitt |
1996 Olympian SFC Theresa DeWitt won the women’s trap event trial and was selected for the World Championship women's trap team. Pvt. 1 Matthew Wallace took second in the junior trap event and made the World Championship junior team. "I'm really excited about competing in the World Championships," Wallace, 19, said. "I only had one week after I finished Basic and Infantry Training to train for the match, so I'm happy I made it." After finishing in a two-way tie for first place in double trap, DeWitt settled for second after the shoot-off, but was still named to compete in women's double trap in Lahti.
"I was very happy with my performance," DeWitt said. "I'm excited that I'll get to shoot two events in the World Championships; this will be the first time I've gotten to do that."
Two other USAMU shotgun shooters SSG Joetta Dement, who placed third in the women’s double trap trial, and 2000 Olympian SGT William Keever, who placed second in men’s double trap, both made the U. S. World Championship Team.
In the rifle team trials, SSG Jason Parker, a 2000 Olympian, won both the air rifle and 300-meter standard rifle competitions and placed third in 50-meter three-position to earn the right to compete in three events in the World Championship in Lahti.
Spc. Mary Elsass
In the women’s rifle trials, Spc. Mary Elsass won the 50-meter sport rifle prone and 300-meter sport rifle three-position events and placed third in 300-meter prone to also garner three slots on the U. S. Team. "This will be my first time competing at the World Championships and it will be a really big honor to represent the Army and the country," Elsass said. "I've been training hard and I've gotten great equipment and ammunition; the USAMU gunsmiths helped a lot working on my rifles."
SFC Thomas Tamas, another 2000 Olympian, won the 50-meter rifle prone trial, took second in the 300-meter prone event and fifth in the 300-meter standard rifle event to earn him three competition opportunities in the World Championship.
2000 Olympian Maj. Mike Anti placed third in the 300-meter three-position trial to also earn a slot on the World Championship Team. "The only time I've ever competed at the World Championships was in 1982. I was 17 years old and was the youngest shooter to ever make the U. S. men’s senior team," Anti said. "I always look forward to competing in the major matches and the World Championships are second only to the Olympics in importance."
2000 Olympian Sgt. 1st Class Daryl Szarenski
In the U. S. pistol team trials, SFC Daryl Szarenski, also a 2000 Olympian, won the air pistol event, placed second in center fire and standard pistol and third in free pistol to qualify to represent the U. S. in all four pistol events. Spc. Grant Saylor took third in center fire pistol and also was named to the World Championship Team.
USAMU running target shooter Sgt. Armando Ayala qualified for the U. S. team by placing second in the 10-meter 30+30 event and third in the 50-meter 30+30 match. He will shoot both of those events plus the 10- and 50-meter mixed run events at Lahti.
(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit has been a part of the U. S. Army Recruiting Command since October 1999. The Marksmanship Unit trains its soldiers to win competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer clinics, research and development. The world-class soldier-athletes of the USAMU also promote the Army and assist recruiters in attracting young Americans to enlist in the Army. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436,
paula.pagan@usarec.army.mil or
http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/amu/.)
The First Shot extends sincere congratulations to these 14 U. S. Army soldiers and to all of the 55 senior and 49 junior shooters who will represent the United States at the 48th World Shooting Championship in Lahti, Finland in July. For more information about the 2002 World Championship Team Trials, see USA Shooting News in this issue of The First Shot or check the USA Shooting web site at
http://www.usashooting.com/News/News.cfm.