Carr, May Lead UK Rifle to Wins Over Two Top-10 Teams

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky rifle team emerged with wins against two top-10 opponents: No. 2 Murray State and No. 9 Memphis on Saturday.

Kentucky finished with a score of 4693, as did Murray State, but the Wildcats emerged on top in center shots to break the tie with 308 to the Racers’ 289. Great American Rifle Conference opponent Memphis finished the match with a score of 4644.

“It was a very close match all the way through,” head coach Harry Mullins said. “Our smallbore team responded better this week. We are starting to settle in a little better in the sling positions. Yet we still have some work to do in this area.

“Overall, I was very proud of the team because they fought for every point today. I think the things they have been working on are starting to pay off. Even though we fell short of the number we were looking for, I feel it was a good day in the right direction. Being in a match with multiple teams fighting for the potential points these teams are capable of is something you don’t see every day. I think the teams left nothing on the range. Murray State is a very solid team and sneaking a win past them and Memphis will not happen too often.”

Kentucky shot a smallbore score of 2336 and an air rifle score of 2357.

Freshman Hanna Carr led the way for the Wildcats with the third best aggregate score of her career. Carr finished in first overall as an individual after firing an 1179 and finishing with her highest smallbore score to date of 592, which leads the team for this season.

Billy Azzinaro followed behind Carr in smallbore with a new personal record of 586, as well as another personal record aggregate score of 1176 to land him in fourth place overall.

“[Azzinaro] has been working hard on this,” Mullins said. “It is great to see him get rewarded with those scores.”

In air rifle, Sonya May took the top spot while tying her season-high and team-high score of 595. She went on to shoot a 582 in smallbore for an aggregate of 1177, which was good enough for a second place overall finish. May also finished fifth in smallbore.

Between the three teams, five Wildcats finished in the top-10 individuals. Carr took first, followed by May, while Azzinaro took fourth, Cathryn Papasodora in eighth, and Jason Spaude in ninth.

“Now we have to get ready for the next test, which is at West Virginia next weekend,” Mullins Said. “Hard work will be the theme this week. They are a very solid team and new NCAA record holders.”