LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky rifle team turned in its best performance of the season, posting a team record tying mark in the junior opener to earn a win over Navy and North Georgia on Saturday.
Saturday’s race was split into two relays with Navy and Kentucky in the first relay and North Georgia and Kentucky in the second relay. All competitions took place within the UK Rifle Range within Barker Hall.
Kentucky earned a school record 2360 in small rifle and 2382 in air rifle for a team total of 4742. The total score is the second highest in program history. Both totals were season highs for the Wildcats. The junior team’s score was the fifth-best in the nation this season as UK is one of only three teams to score a 2360 or higher in the event, joining Alaska and TCU.
“I really like what I saw overall today,” said UK coach Harry Mullins. “The first relay really performed well and set the tone in both disciplines. Will had a great day and so did Mitchell, Sophia and Richard. I’m happy that we’re starting to see some of the things we’re working on carry over into the competition. We’ll get back to work this week ahead of a really challenging game next weekend in Morgantown.”
Super seniors Richard Clark and Will Shaner, seniors Jaden Thompson and Emmie Sellers and freshman Sofia Ceccarello competed in the first relay with super seniors Mitchell Nelson, senior Mason Hamilton, sophomores Kayla Kalena, Tori Kopelen and Allison Buesseler and Martinonyth first year students. in the second relay.
Shaner, Ceccarello, Clark, Buesseler and Kalenza were the number one UK line-up in both disciplines. Shaner led all performers with an aggregate of 1191, posting a 594 with a 594 in small rifle and a 597 in air rifle. Shaner’s minor score tied for the third-highest mark in NCAA competition this season, while his 1,191 was the fourth-highest. Ceccarello posted an 1190 overall with a 592 small rifle and a 598 air rifle awaiting the match. Clark performed well with a total of 1186, earning a 591 in small rifle and a 595 in air rifle. Buesseler posted a 583 small rifle and a 592 in the air for an aggregate of 1175, while Kalenza earned a 579 in the small paint.
Nelson had an incredible match scoring a career high in both events with a 588 in small rifle and a 596 in air rifle. Sellers scored a 1162 overall with a 576 in small rifle and a 586 in air rifle, while Thompson posted a 575 in small rifle and 592 in air rifle for an aggregate of 1167. Voss scores a 584 in small paint, 588 in air rifle and an aggregate of 1172. Kopelen scored a 584 in small rifle and did not compete in air rifle, while Hotko scored a 581 air rifle, 567 in the well and 1148 overall. Hamilton scored a 574 in pistol, 583 in air rifle and a 1157 overall.
Navy competed in the first relay, scoring a 2325 in small rifle, a 2365 in air rifle and a total score of 4690. Stephanie Milvain led the team in small paint with a 586, while Parker Haydin led the team in air rifle with a 595 .
North Georgia scored a 2244 in small rifle and a 2310 in air rifle for a total of 4554. Alyssa Kiser led in small rifle with a 570 and in air rifle with a 585.
Kentucky will return to action next weekend at the WVU Fall Classic, competing against West Virginia, TCU and Alaska-Fairbanks. The contest will take place on Saturday, November 5th and Sunday, November 6th starting at 10:00am ET each day. Live scores and an NCAA scorecard will be made available online at UKathletics.com.
For more information on the Kentucky rifle team, visit UKathletics.com or follow UKRifle at I tweetInstagram and Facebook.
