National Intercollegiate Pistol Championships

[NRA]

ational Rifle Association

FORT BENNING, Ga. - The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit will host the National Rifle Association's 2008 Intercollegiate Pistol Championships March 10 to 14 at the Pool International Shooting Complex and Phillips Range.

Pistol team members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be defending the NRA national championship title, which they won in last year's team competition held at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

"This year's team has only three members returning from last year," said MIT Pistol Coach Will Hart, recipient of the NRA's 2007 Distinguished College Coach award. "We lost 10 of our shooters because they were seniors and graduated. But all of our current shooters have really stepped up their training, and our older shooters have been a great help to the new shooters. The team has exceeded all of my expectations in terms of performance. We've got a new young team, but they are dedicated and have great team spirit. We're going to be even stronger next year and in the following years."
This annual championship determines the national individual and team champions in NRA Intercollegiate Pistol competition. Events include NRA Intercollegiate Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, Open Air Pistol, Women's Air Pistol and Women's Sport Pistol.

Qualifications for an invitation to participate in the national championship are determined from pistol scores fired in the annual NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Sectionals held throughout the United States between January and February each year. To be eligible to participate in the championships, a shooter must be a regularly enrolled undergraduate student who complies with the eligibility rules of his or her institution.

In addition to MIT, the other team qualifiers are: The U.S.
Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, The Citadel, Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, Missouri State University, University of Utah, University of Texas-Austin and North Georgia College and State University.

These prestigious pistol championships attract collegiate competitors from schools across the country. In last year's competition, more than 90 shooters representing 16 educational institutions and four ROTC teams participated in the matches. MIT posted an impressive team aggregate score of 6,372 points to take the national title, overcoming the defending champions from the U.S. Military Academy, which posted a score of 6,365. The U.S. Naval Academy placed third in the team awards with an aggregate score of 6,322.

Media are invited to cover the matches and ceremony but should coordinate with the Fort Benning Public Affairs Office before coming to post.

For more information about NRA's Collegiate Shooting Programs, visit the NRA's Web site at www.nrahq.org/compete/coldir.asp, call (703)
267-1473 or e-mail collegiate@nrahq.org.

(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade of the U.S. Army Accessions Command. The Marksmanship Unit trains its Soldiers to win competitions and enhances combat readiness through train-the-trainer clinics, research and development. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, Paula.Randall@usaac.army.mil or www.USAMU.com. For information on the National Rifle Association, contact Daniel Feldbusch at (703) 267-1595.)