The University of Akron Athletics
Brewer, DeBrita Among Top Shooters in Nation
March 19 | Rifle
University of Akron rifle teammates Julie DeBrita (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia Glenville) and
Marybeth Brewer (Royal Oak, Mich./Berkley) each
turned in top 20 performances to further establish themselves as
two of the top shooters in the country at the National Junior
Olympic Rifle Championship this weekend in Colorado Springs,
Colo.
"People need to understand that this is a national championship;
the same championship which our Olympians are selected from," said
UA rifle coach Newt Engle. "Thus, DeBrita and Brewer are now
ranked as two of the top 20 junior athletes in the United States.
This is a proud moment for Julie and Marybeth as well as The
University of Akron."
In the smallbore rifle, DeBrita finished 15th with a two-day score
of 1,130 out of a possible 2,000 in her first appearance at the
Olympic Training Center. Brewer, making her second OTC appearance,
fired a 1,124 to stay in the top 20 at the 19th slot. Brewer also
posted a top 60 position out of 99 competitors in the air
rifle.
After helping guide the Zips to one of the best seasons in school
history, DeBrita and Brewer received invitations to compete in the
national championships. Invitations are only extended to the top
one percent of junior rifle athletes (age 20 or below) in the
United States. DeBrita qualified for the smallbore rifle event
while Brewer was selected for both the smallbore and air rifle
competitions.
