IAC Collegiate Program Chair, Jordan Ashley, offers his congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Collegiate Championships. The collegiate eagle trophies will be presented to the recipients at the IAC Member Gathering in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at AirVenture on Friday, July 24, 2020. The results of the championships have been verified and are as follows:
Team Championships:
1st: MSU - Denver reclaimed first place from UND with a total score of 6571.92 out of 7650 possible points / 85.91%
2nd:UND - with a total score of 5818.65 out of 7050 possible points / 82.53%
3rd: USAFA - with a total score of 5265.24 out of 6600 possible points / 79.78%
1st: Metropolitan State/Denver 2nd: University of North Dakota 3rd: USAF Academy
Individual Championships:
1st: Benjamin Bagby from the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith - 7587.88 out of 9030 possible points / 84.03% - This is Ben's first year competing in the Collegiate Series.
2nd: Vibeke Gaard - MSU Denver - 7415.82 out of 9030 possible points / 82.12% - Vibeke competed in 2017, and she finished 6th in 2018
3rd: Alex Hunt - UND - 8395.52 out of 10320 possible points / 81.35% - Alex competed in 2017, he finished 4th in 2018
1st: Benjamin Bagby 2nd: Vibeke Gaard 3rd: Alex Hunt
The collegiate competition program is intended to increase the flying safety and encourage interest in aerobatics among college-age students. It is the intent of this program to sharpen pilot skills in the categories where they can be the most rewarded in terms of pilot ability and collegiate recognition. The program is also intended to be a springboard for competitors to continue their pursuit of aerobatics upon leaving the collegiate environment.
The two awards serve to recognize skill and proficiency for the collegiate aerobatic competitor. The Collegiate National Championship Team Award recognizes the highest-scoring U.S. Collegiate Team. The Individual Collegiate National Champion Award recognizes the top three individual collegiate competitors in Sportsman or higher category. To qualify, a competitor must be a full-time undergraduate student in an accredited college or vocational program. Teams may be formed by three or more competitors from the same school, one of which must fly in the Sportsman category.
More information on the program can be found on IAC Collegiate Program webpage.
