Published: June 27, 2009 08:10 pm      

Wallizer wins rifle title

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— Following a recent two-day competition, West Virginia University senior Bryant Wallizer captured the air rifle title with a score of 1288.4 at the 2009 USA Shooting National Championships at Ft. Benning’s International Shooting Complex in Columbus, Ga.

With the win, the Little Orleans, Md., native and graduate of Hancock High School automatically qualifies for the US National Development team.

"This is insane. I came down here to do a job, and I did it," Wallizer said. "I'm really excited. I think winning today is bigger than winning the NCAA Championship because there is a broader base of competition. This is just a huge honor."

"It was great to watch Bryant shoot so well over the last two days," said coach Jon Hammond. "I'm really proud of him. He's been training really hard the past few months and came in to this championship very focused. Today and yesterday were some of the best matches I have ever seen him shoot."

Wallizer’s consistently strong shooting propelled him to the title, as he shot 594 the first day, one point short of his personal-best score, and 591 on the second day. He shot 103.4 in the top-eight final. The win comes on the heels of a strong junior season from the 2009 National Rifle Association first team air rifle All-American.