Derting Selected for Three International Competitions

 Kristen Derting has been selected to compete with Team USA in the ISSF Rifle World Cups in India, Peru and Azerbaijan.
 
The Salem, Oregon native heads to Bhopal, India, March 17-27. Derting will be shooting both smallbore and air rifle. The All-GARC First Team and CRCA All-American honoree will compete on March 24 in smallbore and March 26 in air rifle.
 
Derting plans to travel to Lima, Peru, April 11-17, where she will compete in the smallbore event on April 16.
 
A trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, to compete in air rifle on May 12 completes her Spring travel. 
 
The U.S. can enter up to five shooters in each event at the World Cups. All scores fired by National Team members in designated matches are tracked, and an average of a shooter’s top five scores from the previous 12 months is calculated. At the selection date for each of the World Cups, Derting’s average placed her in the top five. The air rifle scores used for her selection were from the NCAAs, the National Junior Olympics, USA Shooting Nationals, and USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Championships. Her five-match average was 628.02. For smallbore, her selection scores were fired at USA Shooting Nationals, USOPC August Ranking Match, and the Eley Cup, and her five-match average was 588.2.
 
Current World Champion and 2017 Ole Miss graduate Ali Weisz will also compete in the India, Peru, and Azerbaijan World Cups. U.S. women’s team members include current NCAA shooters from West Virginia University and Texas Christian University.
 
In ISSF World Cups, only three of a country’s entrants may compete for a spot in the final and medals. The other two entrants compete as RPOs, or Ranking Points Only. Kristen’s five-match averages place her in the RPO category.
 
Coach Beasley:
 
“Being selected to represent the U.S. in ISSF World Cups is a major step in Kristen’s Olympic journey. She made the National Team last summer and earned her first ISSF smallbore ranking points at the Championships of the Americas in November. She still needs ranking points in air rifle to be eligible for that event. Since there is only a handful of ISSF matches each year, it is huge that Kristen has earned the opportunity to compete at three World Cups this Spring.
 
“Just knowing she has three opportunities this Spring to earn ranking points will be a big boost for Kristen. I am confident she can shoot the needed scores. Still, many variables exist when competing internationally, such as jet lag, environmental extremes, lack of familiar foods, and prevalence of travel-associated illnesses. For example, if all goes according to schedule, Kristen’s plane trip to India will take 36 hours door-to-door. That kind of travel takes a toll and is certainly not ideal for an athlete, so it is great to know she has more than one opportunity.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports