L to R: Paul Sleeth; Hope Dobek; Lizzea Wright; Wesley Rumbaugh
The team is known for their shooting prowess statewide, and over the weekend the Central Campus Marine Corp JROTC Rifle Team did not disappoint.
The four-person team won their 3rd straight Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) State Championship, which they hosted at Central Campus.
The Central Campus varsity squad won the team championship with a score of 2152, while JV finished in the state runner-up spot, beating out the Iowa Rifle and Pistol Association (IRPA), who took home the 3rd spot.
North High School senior Hope Dobek won the individual state Championship with a score of 562, and Roosevelt High School freshman Wesley Rumbaugh scored a 534 for a 3rd place overall finish.
North junior Lizzea Wright took 1st place in the AG-l category and Lincoln High School senior Paul Sleeth won the Silver Medal.
Despite every member of his team finishing in the top three at the state championship over the weekend, coach Gunnery Sgt. Michael Gettler called their performance just ok. He is excited to see where they place when the team travels to the 2023 Marine Corps National Championships tomorrow.
“I’m predicting they will be in the top 3 in the nation,” he said. “I hope the knowledge I’ve given them will help them through this challenge. I think it will.”
The Central Campus team, along with alternate Nevaeh Sholley-Clinton, a Lincoln High School junior, will travel to Anniston, Alabama tomorrow, spend a day warming up, and compete over the following days.
Other upcoming matches include the American Legion State Championships at Camp Dodge on March 19 and the Iowa Junior Olympics State Championships hosted by Central Campus on March 3 – 4. They will attempt to win their 19th straight Junior Olympic Championship and the 13th American Legion State Title.
Gunnery Sgt. Gettler has been working on building a shooting range worthy of a nationally ranked team at Central Campus, complete with electronic targets replacing the commonly used paper targets.
“I want to give them the best,” he said. “I want them to have every opportunity to succeed. Then it just comes down to how much work they want to put into it.”
