LEXINGTON ? The Kentucky rifle team opens the 2005-06 season on Saturday when it hosts defending national champion Army at Buell Armory.
?This will be a tough test for us right out of the gate,? Kentucky head coach Harry Mullins said. ?Army has a great program and this will be a good measuring stick for us.?
The Wildcats return all but one shooter from last season?s team that finished sixth in the nation. Newcomers Andrew Roland and Jason Dardas replace the graduated Jeff Hamburg. Leading the returnees are sophomore Ray Geyer and senior All-American Vicki Goss.
?We are very excited about the team we have coming back,? Mullins said. ?We only lost one shooter, but I feel like we?ve replaced him with two very strong competitors in Andrew and Jason.?
Army is led by the return of sophomore Christopher Abalo, who finished fourth in the nation in both smallbore and air rifle.
It is the second straight year the two teams have opened the season against each other. In last year?s meeting, Army scored a 2336-2298 victory at West Point, N.Y.
The 2005-06 season marks a change in the way teams qualify for the NCAA Championships. Previously, teams earned a spot in the tournament based solely on their performance at the NCAA Qualifier.
This season, the top three regular-season scores count for 50 percent of the overall qualifying score. The NCAA Qualifier makes up the other 50 percent.
?With the new format, it really puts more emphasis on the regular season,? Mullins said. ?We have to focus on trying to post some good scores early in the season to take some of the pressure off us.?
