ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Army West Point rifle team defeated Navy earlier today to claim the Star over the Midshipmen. The Black Knights won 5799-5790 in the five-man counter scoring and also edged the Midshipmen in NCAA scoring. Each team finished with 4637 in the latter format, but Army won the tiebreaker with more center shots. Army improves to 4-7 overall this year and 3-5 in the GARC while Navy is 4-4 on the year and 1-4 in conference. Army head coach Web Wright III, whose father (Web Wright II) was the head coach at Navy in the 1970's and 1980's, was facing Navy for the first time as the head coach of the Cadets.
"This win feels good," said Wright. "This is my first victory over Navy so the plebe's and I are in the same boat. Alyssa Gestl, as a Firstie, has four stars so the team has a pretty good record going. I hope to earn more in the upcoming years." The Black Knights topped the Midshipmen in smallbore 2872-2847 while the Mids won air rifle 2943-2927. In the NCAA scoring, Army held a 2296-2290 advantage in smallbore while Navy had the edge in air rifle (2347-2341). Gestl had a strong performance in both smallbore and air rifle. The senior led all participants with a 583 in smallbore while shooting a 586 in air rifle. Read More
ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Army West Point women's track and field team set two meet records en route to a thrilling 91-90 victory over Navy to win the Gold Star from the Wesley A. Brown Field House on Saturday. "Our women were awesome today," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mike Smith. "I could not be more proud of them. We only brought 27 athletes, so we had to ask some of them to compete in multiple events. We we were able to take some risks that paid off in the end." The Black Knights have now won back-to-back indoor meets opposite the Midshipmen and three of the last four total meets. Sophomore Meagan Hilla leapt her way into the record books as her 1.74m high jump not only broke fellow Cadet Kim Seminiano's meet record at 1.73m from 1989, but also puts her second on Army's all-time list. The Green Bay, Wis., native now looks to surpass Seminiano's all-time record of 1.79m, which was also set in the 1989 season. 
CENTER VALLEY, PA - Freshman Abby Halbrook of the Army West Point women's track and field team was named the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week for the second time this season for her performance that contributed to the team's thrilling 91-90 victory over service academy rival Navy this weekend. "Abby is one of our most valuable performers, and that showed this weekend," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mike Smith. "She has range from 800m to 5000m. She is dependable and is a fierce competitor. She is just scratching the surface of what we think she is capable of accomplishing. Her future is bright."
HAMILTON, NY - Senior Kelsey Minato scored 29 points and became the Academy's all-time scoring leader, as the Army West Point women's basketball team defeated Colgate, 78-55, in a Patriot League contest on Wednesday evening at Cotterell Court. Army collects its 10th straight win to improve to 20-2 overall and 11-1 in the Patriot League, while Colgate falls to 4-18 and 2-10.
The wrestling program at Army West Point has been around since the early 1920's. Being the leader of this group of elite athletes is a rare fraternity that has just 10 members, the most recent of whom comes from one of the most prestigious wrestling programs in the country. The 2015-16 Black Knights are under the direction of Kevin Ward who spent his college days in Stillwater, OK, wrestling for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. As an athlete, he learned from the greatest coach of the most storied program in the country.
WILMINGTON, NC - In the final game of the Seahawk Softball Bash, the Army West Point softball team shut down UNC Wilmington to earn its first win of the 2016 season. The Black Knights tallied 10 hits in today's 3-1 victory and tallied zero errors. "I was really proud of how the team responded to the past two days," said head coach Michelle DePolo. "Our offense continued to put runners on base and push done runs across, but the story of the day was exceptional defense. The success of this team in the long run is predicated on solid defense and timely hitting, today was an exemplary performance of both. Caroline pitched a terrific game and got a lot of support from her catcher and defense." Kristen McPeek led the Black Knights with two RBIs and added two hits. Ashley Yoo also recorded an RBI, while Mae Wadyka and Alee Rashenskas had two hits apiece. Caroline Smith pitched all seven innings for the Cadets to earn her first win in the circle this season and held the Seahawks scoreless until the seventh inning. 
Eighteen cadets from the Cadet Community on Civil Military Operations volunteered at a foster home in Poughkeepsie, NY. The purpose of this trip was to provide positive role models for children from difficult backgrounds, and to inspire a passion for service in the cadets that attended the trip. On the same day, six other cadets from the Cadet Community on Civil Military Operations volunteered at a local food bank in Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY. The food bank receives more food donations than its staff can handle, and cadets volunteering actively increases the amount of food that can be sent out to local food pantries, thereby in-creasing the amount of food that can get to those who need it.
Fourteen cadets from the USMA Studio Arts and the Elsie-Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum travelled to New York City to tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Cadets were able to study sculptures from Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; Islamic Art; Medieval illuminated manuscripts; musical instruments; arms and armor from around the world; and modern and contemporary works, including a rare exhibition of Picasso’s sculpture.
The West Point Combat Weapons Team sent two, four person teams to participate in a regional steel challenge hosted by the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit. The Firstie team, consisting of CDTs Josh Hester, Ellis Spencer, Mike Okorn, and Andy Scott placed third overall. Both the A and B team beat Navy and Air Force. Texas A&M took the first place prize and Florida University placed second. CDT Tyler Rose represented the Cow team and impressed everyone with an individual fourth place overall finish.
Eight cadets from the West Point Flying team drove to Orange County Airport in Montgomery, NY, to fly aircraft rented from Take Flight Aviation. The purpose for this trip section was to train cadets on the team for their upcoming Army-Navy-Coast Guard competition in April. Following Winter Break, cadets are required to fly with an instructor to regain their currency in the aircraft as per club SOP. As such, several cadets flew with a CFII on a currency flight in which they would practice landings along with other maneuvers and emergency procedures such as steep turns, stalls and simulated engine out. Other cadets already flew current with one another practicing landings at Orange County, as well as at other airports including Wurtsboro and Poughkeepsie.
The West Point Scoutmasters’ Council travelled to Gorham, NH, for a team-building event and a day of snowmobiling. A total of twenty-six cadets took part in a challenging 100 mile long snowmobile trek through the mountains of New Hampshire.
Twenty-one cadets from the West Ski Patrol club travelled to Labrador Mountain In Truxton, NY, to conduct candidate sled and toboggan training. This marks more than two decades of continued relations between the West Point Ski Patrol and the Labrador Mountain ski patrol. One of the Labrador’s ski patrollers, Eric Brauer, was greatly influential in arranging a large amount of lift tickets to facilitate in the training. Training included improving upon skiing skills as well as sharpening toboggan skills. The candidates skied with Ski Patrol Instructors from Labrador Mountain and they were vital to the development of the candidates. Though the snow was not the greatest and there were minimal runs open due to a dry winter, the cadets made with what they had and had a great weekend of training.
