Wa-Hi JROTC Rifle Teams earn third place at Western Regional Championship
By Dan Thesman on Saturday, February 15th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – (News release from Walla Walla Public Schools) Walla Walla High School’s JROTC Rifle Teams traveled to Utah last week to compete in the Army JROTC Western Regional Rifle Championship, where both teams placed third in their respective divisions. The competition, held at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, brought together nearly 200 top Army JROTC marksmen from 40 teams across 13 western states.
This regional event was the second of three national qualifying matches, with the top shooters earning a chance to compete at the All-Service JROTC National Championship in March. This year, Wa-Hi’s program made history, qualifying two sporter teams and two precision teams—a total of 18 Blue Devil marksmen—for the event.
Strong Performances Lead to Podium Finishes
The two-day Olympic-style air rifle competition challenged shooters in kneeling, prone, and standing positions, with a possible daily score of 600 points per competitor.
• Sporter Team One delivered one of its highest scores of the season on Day 1, led by Jaycee Cox (537), followed by Wyatt Postlewait (528), Saphira Rynaski (517), and Claire Wooster (512). Their combined score of 2094 secured third place out of 29 teams.
• Precision Team One also finished Day 1 in third place with a score of 2289, just behind Fountain Fort Carson High School in Colorado. Sarah Nelson led the team with a personal best of 585, including a perfect 199 in prone and 196 in kneeling.
On Day 2, both teams held their ground:
• The Sporter Team posted a 2044, keeping them ahead of Pueblo West High School to secure third place—the program’s best finish at this event since 2012.
• The Precision Team scored 2285, led by Claire Calvert (578), despite an equipment malfunction. Nelson (576), Hannah Goin (570), and Evan Graham (561) rounded out the team’s scores.
“This team has been on fire this year, breaking school records twice and qualifying more teams for national ranking than ever before,” said Coach Mark Mebes. “We had freshmen here shooting over 500 daily, which bodes well for the future of this program.”
Nelson’s performance earned her a spot in the Championship Final, where the top eight shooters battled in an Olympic-style elimination round. She finished sixth overall, a strong showing in a highly competitive field.
With Wa-Hi’s Precision Team currently ranked 5th nationally, the team is poised to receive an invitation to the All-Service JROTC National Championship in March. Congratulations to the Wa-Hi JROTC Rifle Teams on their outstanding performance!
Photo via Walla Walla Public Schools
