Nov. 10, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky rifle team defeated No. 15 Navy Saturday 4697 – 4591, led by senior Henri Junghänel’s 597 in air rifle, a tie for a program best.
Kentucky took an early lead Saturday morning, shooting a 2325 in smallbore to Navy’s 2266. The Wildcats added to the early lead with a 2372 in air rifle, compared to Navy’s 2325, to claim the victory by over 100 points.
“Overall, today was a good day,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “We pushed hard and broke through some areas and left some out there for the next time. Henri and Emily had great performances today, Henri tying the air rifle school record and Emily shooting a 586 in smallbore. I was really happy with the effort today, the whole team seemed focused form start to finish and we stayed within ourselves.”
Including Junghänel’s 597, Kentucky saw four air rifle scores top 590. Seniors Heather Greathouse and Stacy Wheatley both delivered 592s for the team, while junior Emily Holsopple shot a 591. Freshman Connor Davis and senior Ed Ryznar both shot a 589. Junior Aaron Holsopple shot a 588 in air rifle, a personal high on the year.
“Our air rifle scores are starting to fall into place as a team,” Mullins said. “We still have to find a way to stay consistent but I think that is coming soon. I’m happy with where we are right now.”
Kentucky’s smallbore score was led by a 586 from Emily Holsopple and 584 from Junghänel. Greathouse delivered a 578 while Davis contributed 577 in smallbore. Sophomore Elijah Ellis rounded out the team in smallbore with a 576.
“Seeing the team find a way to get the results they wanted despite struggling was a great indicator of our ability to stay calm and perform,” UK assistant coach Amy Sowash said. “That skill will most certainly pay off in the coming months.”
Kentucky moves to 6-0 on the year and will return to action Nov. 17 when No. 3 TCU comes to town.
“I think that with a little more work we will get to where we want to be,” Mullins said. “I am looking forward to hitting the range this week and working out some of the kinks so we can test ourselves again next week.”
