Rifle: Kulbacki to Represent USA
June 19, 2010 01:02 PM | General
June 19, 2010
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| Michael Kulbacki |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University rising junior Michael Kulbacki requalified for the United States National Junior Team yesterday at the USA Shooting National Championships in Fort Benning, Ga.
The DuBois, Pa., native’s third-place finish in the men’s junior 10M air rifle competition automatically qualifies him for a spot on the national team. He now will represent his country in the men's junior 10M air rifle competition at the World Junior Championships, July 29 – Aug. 11, in Munich, Germany.
“This is a great achievement for Mike,” says WVU fifth-year coach Jon Hammond. “His goal this summer was to make the World Championship Team. Any time you earn the right to represent your country, you feel a huge sense of honor, especially so given that our World Championships for both juniors and seniors only comes around once every four years.
“We are very proud of Mike and know that he will represent the United States and West Virginia University admirably.”
Kulbacki’s final two-day match score of 1273.7 helped solidify his spot on the national team. The National Rifle Association (NRA) air rifle first team All-American’s aggregate total was comprised of match scores of 586 and 587, and a finals string of 100.7. Additionally, his two-day total of 1173 was good enough for 11th place in the open competition.
Hammond and two-time NRA All-American Nicco Campriani will join Kulbacki at the World Championships, respectively representing Great Britain and Italy in the men’s open competition.
“It will be fantastic to have both Mike and Nicco at the World Championships,” Hammond says. “I think it is a great honor to have three Mountaineers shooting on the world stage together.”
Kulbacki is not the first Mountaineer from the 2010-11 WVU rifle team to shoot in a World Championship. Campriani and his classmates, Andraz Poje (Slovenia) and Tommy Santelli (USA), competed at the 2006 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Additionally, Hammond has over a decade’s worth of experience on the World Cup stage. Listed among his many achievements is a win in the junior men's 50M prone competition at the 1998 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Kulbacki also shot well in the 3 position junior championship, held June 12-14, finishing seventh with an aggregate score of 2375.5. He shot 1142 and 1140 in the two qualifying matches and 93.5 in the finals.
Hammond and former Mountaineer Bryant Wallizer also placed in competition this past week.
Wallizer, a 2010 graduate and five-time NRA All-American, finished second in the open men’s 10M air rifle competition with a final score 1287.7. The Little Orleans, Md., native shot match scores of 594 and 593, and a finals string of 100.7. His finish retains his spot on the US National Development team. Wallizer also finished 11th in the 3 position championship with a score of 2380 (1152, 1156), and 25th in the 50M men’s prone championship, held June 14-16, with a score of 1176 (587, 589).
Hammond earned the top visitor score in two championships. A member of the 2008 Great Britain Olympic team, Hammond finished the men’s 3 position with a final score of 2319 (1165, 1154), and the men’s 50M prone with a score of 1192 (596, 596). He was not eligible for the finals in either championship due to his visitor status.
Next on the World Cup schedule is the Belgrade World Cup in Serbia, Croatia, on June 26-July 4.
