Summer of Success for North ROTC Air Rifle Team

North won the Daisy National Air-Gun Championship for the third year in a row.

North was the top team at the 2014 National Junior Olympics.

North was the national runner-up at the 2014 CMP National Air Rifle Championships .

It was a summer of success for the North High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC Rifle team as they competed at several national tournaments.

The team traveled to Ohio to compete at the National Junior Olympics Air Rifle Championships and the CMP National 3P Air Rifle Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. In the Junior Olympics, North’s team won the Club Team Division with a score of 2145.

Day two at the competition was for the CMP National Championships, with a record 37 teams from around the United States vying for the title. North shot a school record 2157 and finished in the National runner-up spot, behind Zion Benton High School in Illinois and 2 points ahead of Gulf Port, Mississippi.  The North team was led by Lucas McNichols who shot 546, followed by James Ellefson 542, Jessica Ebersole 542 and Lexis Smith with a 527.

On July 5 the team headed to Rogers, Arkansas for the Daisy National Air-Gun Championships. North was aiming to win its 3rd straight Daisy Championship in a row. The two-day competition ended with North winning the title with a score 4227, followed by Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Jessica Ebersole led the North team, shooting a score of 1080 and finishing as the National runner-up for the individual crown. Lucas McNichols followed with a 1062 and a 6th place finish over-all. McNichols also was awarded his Junior Distinguished Shooting Badge, the highest award given to Junior Shooters. James Ellefson shot a 1049 and Lexis Smith a 1036 to round out the team.

Jessica Ebersole is finishing up the summer by travelling to Colorado Springs to compete at the American Legion National 3P Air Rifle Championships, hosted at the Olympic Training Center. The National qualifying began in January with over 1500 shooters from around the country. Only the top 15 punched their ticket to the tournament finals, which consists of 4 3X20 matches over a 2 day period. The top 8 shooters advance to the National Standing finals, where the National Champion is crowned after the grueling 3 day tournament. This will be the third North High shooter to represent the State of Iowa in the last 4 years at the national tournament.

The team is led by Gunnery Sergeant Mike Gettler, who is in his 14th season as the North High ROTC shooting coach.