By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – The precision class at the 2024 JROTC National Three-Position Championship was a rinse and repeat version of last year’s competition – with both Granbury High School and Danjela (Jordan) De Jesus, 18, of the Camden County High School Navy JROTC in Georgia, reclaiming their titles in the individual and team competitions.
During the 2023 JROTC National Three-Position Championship, De Jesus, a Navy cadet, not only led the precision air rifle class at the National event but also within all three phases of the competition series. She returned in 2024 and again captured her place at the top of the results list – maintaining the high score in the qualifying round of the event before moving on to be the last competitor standing in the elimination final.
Likewise, the Marine Corps Granbury High School team continued its streak by reaching its seventh consecutive win with an overall score of 4700-313 – more than 40 points over the competition. Firing members were Viola Allen, Kameron Wells, Julia Czernik and Kennedy Wells.
“This is one of the most talented groups of athletes in my 13 years of coaching,” said the team’s senior Marine instructor, Lt. Col. Scott Casey. “I knew we had a great group from top to bottom at the beginning of the year – and they proved that.”
The JROTC National sporter and precision air rifle event for high school athletes was held March 21-23 at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Ohio. Along with Nationals, the JROTC Championships also included a Postals Match along with Regional Service competitions – all facilitated by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).
Finding second in the individual precision match was Marine Corps cadet Monique Hernandez, 18, of Rio Rancho High School, N.M., as Navy cadet Brooklyn Reames, 17, of Joshua High School, Texas, earned third.
In another outstanding performance, Army cadet Piper Wentland, 18, of Concordia Lutheran High School, Ind., secured a national record for her overall precision 20-shot standing score of 200-17X – cleaning the stage on both Day 1 and Day 2 of the event.
In sporter, an exciting final that ended with a tie-breaking shootoff saw Navy cadet Emma Doyle, 17, of Calvert High School, Md., edging out Marine Corps cadet Zurisaddai Ricardo, 15, of Nation Ford High School, S.C. – with Doyle firing a 9.7 to Ricardo’s 8.0. Elyssa Vazquez, 16, of Mariner High School, claimed third in the class.
The win was a first for Doyle at the national event, who drastically improved her performance after finishing outside of the top 50 in 2022 and 2023. With her win, Doyle received a new Crosman air rifle, donated by Crosman.
Also reaching a first-time win was the Army’s Mariner High School of Florida, whose members compiled a score of 4408-135X for the overall win in the sporter class team competition. Members were Nathan Krokstrom, Elyssa Vazquez, Tyler Dennard and Eryka Vazquez. Like Doyle, the team received a new Crosman air rifle, donated by Crosman.
“To achieve any high-level accomplishment requires an inordinate amount of time, commitment and consistency,” said Maj. Bryan Williams, who coaches the team alongside his wife, Marybeth. “These superstar cadets have absolutely done just that.”
As a bonus, this year’s JROTC event included a fun elimination challenge on CMP’s new Laser Shot simulators, located within the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center. Winning the inaugural match was Joshua Romero of Pueblo County High School Army JROTC from Colorado. Maximus Wilcox, also of Pueblo County, found second, as Alex Johnson of the Utah Military Academy Air Force JROTC ended in third.
At the conclusion of the match, the 220 participants, their coaches and families attended a celebratory banquet and awards ceremony at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in nearby Sandusky. Those in attendance were able to let loose from their months of hard work through dinner, a photo booth, lightshows and music – including a massive group dance of the famous Macarena.
The crowd also welcomed guest speaker, Brig. Gen. Michael Lalor of the U.S. Army TACOM. During his speech, Lalor encouraged the young cadets to keep working hard toward their goals, just as they did during competition. As a commander of a unit in Detroit, Mich., not far from where musical artist Eminem got his start, Lalor channeled one of performer’s most popular songs to relay an important message to those in attendance.
“You’re going to have some once-in-a-lifetime moments that you’re going to have to take advantage of . . . How you trained and how you competed is indicative of how you’re going to seize those moments,” he said. “Not only is that going to be important for your future, but it’s going to be important for our country, and it’s going to be important, eventually, for the world.”
“And, you may only get one shot,” he went on, inspiring the cadets to stay dedicated to their dreams. “You have to dare to think differently . . . Take advantage of the opportunities given to you and believe in yourself.”
See a full list of results of the 2024 JROTC National Championship at https://ct.thecmp.org/2024JROTCNatResults. Photos are available for viewing and free download at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f94434759.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.