Navy Junior ROTC cadets from across the United States participated in the Navy Air Rifle Championship in Anniston, Alabama, Feb. 16-18.

The annual, three-day event hosted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) brought more than 200 participants who qualified from a field of more than 7,000 cadets together to establish who has the right to be called Navy national champions.

The event concluded with a ceremony to honor the competitors and present awards to the winners from each division.

"This was an incredible competition with a high caliber of competitors," said retired Navy Rear Adm. Kent Davis, Anniston city manager and guest speaker at the ceremony. "I was amazed by the support the cadets received, from their families to instructors."

The competition consisted of two days of firing by cadets, in which two divisions of competitors -- Sporter and Precision -- vied for gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Sporter-class air rifles are designed for junior competitors and are characterized by their light weight, low cost, and outstanding accuracy for basic marksmanship training.

Precision-class air rifles are higher in cost and require additional specialized clothing to be worn by the competitor.

Winning teams and competitors were determined based on their two-day aggregate scores.

In the Sporter division, Zion-Benton High School from Zion, Illinois, was named champion for the fourth consecutive year. They were followed by Freeport High School from Freeport, Illinois, and Volunteer High School from Church Hill, Tennessee.

"It's an amazing accomplishment to say we made the four-peat happen," said Hailey Smith, a senior cadet from Zion-Benton High School. "It took a lot of hard work and we couldn't be happier."

The top shooter in the Sporter division was Emma Thompson of Freeport High School. She was followed by Jessica Montcrieff of Oviedo High School from Oviedo, Florida.

On being named the Navy champion, Thompson said, "It's pretty fun, but I wouldn't be here without my team. They supported me the entire way and we are looking forward to the All-Service Championship."

In the Precision division, John Marshall High School from San Antonio was named champion. They were followed by last year's champions Los Alamos High School from Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Upson Lee High School from Thomaston, Georgia.

"We still cannot believe we came back to win," said Yessenia Montalvo, a senior cadet from John Marshall High School. "All the long hours of practice was well worth it, and with our teamwork we came out ahead."

The top shooter in the Precision division was Veronica Stanley of Stockbridge High School from Stockbridge, Georgia. She was followed by Samantha Miller of Los Alamos High School.

"This is incredible," said Stanley. "I did it for our senior naval science instructor, because he is retiring this year and I wouldn't be here without him."

The top seven Sporter teams, top eight Sporter individuals, top five Precision teams, and top six Precision individuals will represent NJROTC in the All-Service JROTC Championship in Anniston, March 23-25.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is a national organization dedicated to training and educating U.S. citizens in responsible uses of firearms and airguns through gun safety training, marksmanship training, and competitions. The CMP is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) corporation which places its highest priority on serving youth through gun safety and marksmanship activities which encourage personal growth and build life skills.

The NJROTC program is overseen by Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) at Naval Station Great Lakes.

NJROTC is a citizenship development program which instills in high school students, in U.S. secondary educational institutions, the value of citizenship and service to the United States.

NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development program. NSTC includes Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp; NROTC at more than 160 colleges and universities across the country; Officer Training Command (OTC) in Newport, Rhode Island; NJROTC and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information on NJROTC, visit www.njrotc.navy.mil/.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/,
http://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/ or www.facebook.com/navalservicetraining/.