Wildcats Shoot 4705 in NCAA Qualifier

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The third-ranked Kentucky rifle team shot its highest score since Jan. 13 with a 4705 on Saturday in an NCAA Qualifier match inside the Buell Armory and Barker Hall alongside the seventeenth-ranked Morehead State Eagles (4653).
 
“Overall I felt we performed OK today,” head coach Harry Mullins said. “We are working our way back to the training numbers that we have seen. I think that if we stay on course and continue to work on the things we have been, we will see little more in the future. It was nice to see Hanna Carr back up in the 590s in  smallbore  after her struggles the past few matches. Although her  smallbore  score wasn’t squaded , it was nice to see Hailee (Sigmon) break through for a personal best. She has been knocking on the door for the past few matches.”
 
Saturday notched the sixth time that the Wildcats eclipsed the 4700 mark, which was comprised of 2334 in  smallbore  and 2371 in air rifle.
 
Combining both relays, UK claimed the top four individual aggregate scores and five of the top six. Henrik Larsen took first place with an 1183 aggregate, including another 597 in air rifle – his second highest score of the season and the fifth time he’s matched the number.
 
Hanna Carr put on her best  smallbore  display of the season with a 590 in  smallbore , which is just two points from her career-best score in the discipline, and followed with a 587 in air rifle to claim second place as an individual at 1177. Hailee Sigmon’s  smallbore  score didn’t count toward the team score but her 582 set a new personal record before she shot a strong 594 in air rifle – her  third highest  score to date. The freshman went on to finish one point behind Carr at 1176 in third place, eight full points ahead of Ryan Hinson (1168) of Morehead State in fourth.
 
Billy Azzinaro, who competed in his last home match in a Kentucky uniform, shot his third 590 of the season in air rifle – second in a row –  to eventually take fifth place while Cathryn Papasodora also shot 590 in air rifle, but finished a point shy of Azzinaro at 1166. Jason Spaude matched his second-best  smallbore  and air rifle performances of the season with a 581 and 582 respectively.
 
Two components go into the qualification for the 2017 NCAA Rifle Championships. The first is each team’s current NCAA three score aggregate average – the score based on each team’s highest three regular-season scores fired at three different locations. The result of this weekend’s qualifier will add to that average. The teams with the eight highest combined scores will qualify for the NCAA Championship.
 
The eight teams selected for the NCAA Championships will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. ET, at NCAA.com. UK sits comfortably inside the top eight as the third-ranked team in the country. The Championships will be hosted by The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, March 9-10.
 
Kentucky will compete next at the Great American Rifle Conference championships in Morgantown, West Virginia, Feb. 23-25.