Jan. 30, 2009
OXFORD, Miss. — Without three of its top shooters and needing wins in matches on Friday and Saturday to secure its third conference championship since 2003, the Kentucky rifle team posted a 4626-4565 win over Ole Miss, on Friday at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center.
Kentucky (10-1) has now won nine consecutive matches and is just one win away from securing the regular-season championship of the Great American Rifle Conference. UK faces N.C. State on Saturday in Oxford.
“They really shot well, especially considering that they were without Tom (Csenge), Ethan (Settlemires) and Megan (English),” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “I was very proud of the team to grind it out and find a way to get the win. And Stacy (Underwood) did an excellent job leading the team.”
Ashley Jackson led the Wildcats with a 591 in air rifle, with UK getting solid contributions from several shooters including Jen Pason and senior Andrew Roland. Roland finished with a 583 in smallbore – highlighted by a 197 in kneeling. Pason finished with a season-high 588 in air rifle, with Leslie Angeli posting a 574 in air gun.
Due to the weather conditions in Lexington, UK head coach Harry Mullins was not able to get to Oxford for the Friday match. In his stead, UK graduate assistant coach Stacy Underwood took the reins of the team, leading the Wildcats to the win.
“Our team knows what they are doing,” Underwood said. “It is great for a coach when you have good athletes all you need to do is be there for them, they know what they need to do and they can get it done. Especially when you are without three of your big guns and a regular season conference championship on the line, a lot of teams would curl up in the corner, but they held strong and kept fighting through to get the win. I am very proud of them.”
“I am really proud of Ashley (Jackson), she put up a 591 in air rifle, which is a very solid score,” Mullins said. “Jen (Pason) also did a great job, pulling it out in air rifle, along with Andrew (Roland). And Leslie (Angeli) also did a great job, shooting on the first team with both guns. We will need to come out Saturday and put up a solid effort, because N.C. State is a good team and one that will present challenges.”
