Ceccarello, Peiser, Sellers, Voss, Papasodora Earn All-GARC Awards
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky sophomores Sofia Ceccarello and Martin Voss along with freshman Braden Peiser, fifth-year senior Emmie Sellers and assistant coach Cathryn Papasodora all earned Great America Rifle Conference honors Friday at the annual pre-championship banquet.
Ceccarello received recognition in all three categories, earning All-GARC Smallbore Second Team, All-GARC Air Rifle First Team and All-GARC Combined First Team. Peiser was tabbed All-GARC Air Rifle Second Team and Combined All-GARC Honorable Mention, while Sellers was All-GARC Smallbore Honorable Mention. Voss was tabbed All-GARC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Papasodora was named the GARC Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ceccarello is having a great season for Kentucky, leading the Wildcats in both smallbore and air rifle average. The native of Ravenna, Italy, is earning 587.917 in smallbore and 597.75 in air rifle for an aggregate average of 1185.667. Ceccarello has scored five 599s in air rifle this season, which is more than any other athlete in the nation. She is one of four athletes in the nation to post multiple 1190 aggregate scores this season.
Peiser has had a strong rookie campaign for the Wildcats, sitting third on the team in aggregate average at 1177.000. He ranks third on the team in both smallbore average at 583.417 and air rifle average at 593.583. Last weekend at the NCAA Qualifiers, Peiser put together his best match of the year posting career highs in all three categories with a 593 in smallbore, 598 in air rifle and 1191 aggregate. The 1191 aggregate ties the fourth-highest score in the nation this season as he is one of five athletes in the nation to record a 1191 or above this year.
Sellers is having a great super senior campaign for Kentucky, sitting second on the team in smallbore average, air rifle average and aggregate average. Sellers is earning 584.083 in smallbore and 593.75 in air rifle for an aggregate average of 1177.833. The native of Simla, Colorado, has recorded career highs this year in both disciplines with a 588 in smallbore and 598 in air rifle for an aggregate of career best of 1186.
Voss was honored by the league for his work in the classroom. As a sports leadership major, he has a strong cumulative GPA. In the range this season, Voss is averaging 582.083 in smallbore and 589.667 in air rifle for an aggregate average of 1171.750.
Papasodora has been instrumental in the success of the program in his second year as assistant coach. Last season, she helped lead the program to a GARC Regular-Season Championship and third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. This season, she helped guide UK to its 30th NCAA Championship appearance with a strong NCAA qualifying score. Her coaching helped Kentucky earn an impressive 4745 team aggregate score, which is one of the highest team scores in the nation this season.
Kentucky begins GARC Championships this weekend as it competes in smallbore and air rifle Saturday and Sunday. The two-day event will mainly feature smallbore Saturday and air rifle Sunday although non-team countable individual performers will compete in both disciplines both days Competition both days is scheduled to begin at approximately 8 a.m. ET with an eight-finalist individual format to follow each day. Army, Akron, Memphis, Navy, Ole Miss and West Virginia will join UK at the event. Army is hosting the event inside the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center. Live stats will be available ukathletics.com.
For more information on the Kentucky rifle team, visit UKathletics.com or follow UKRifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
2024 All-GARC Honors
Sofia Ceccarello
Smallbore All-GARC Second Team
Air Rifle All-GARC First Team
Combined All-GARC First Team
Braden Peiser
Air Rifle All-GARC Second Team
Combined All-GARC Honorable Mention
Emmie Sellers
Smallbore All-GARC Honorable Mention
Martin Voss
All-GARC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Cathryn Papasodora
GARC Assistant Coach of the Year
