Kentucky Rifle Team Announces 2020 Fall Schedule
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After its remarkable 2019-20 season was halted prior to the start of the 2020 NCAA Rifle Championships due to the ongoing global pandemic, the University of Kentucky rifle team is excited to be back in the range and has announced its 2020 fall schedule.
The six-match fall slate features four matches inside the UK Rifle Range at Barker Hall, while the Wildcats will travel away from Lexington twice. In order to create the healthiest match day environment possible, fans will not be admitted to UK rifle matches this fall, but UK Athletics is exploring new possibilities to help fans follow along with home matches.
The Wildcats will begin the fall season with three home matches in October, starting with their season opener against Akron on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kentucky will then host Army on Saturday, Oct. 17 and end the month on Saturday, Oct. 31 against NC State.
Kentucky’s first road match of the season will kick off competition in November as it travels to Ole Miss on Saturday, Nov. 7. The Wildcats will conclude home competition in the fall on Saturday, Nov. 14 with the Kentucky Long Rifle Match against Murray State and Morehead State. The fall slate concludes with UK traveling to Navy on Saturday, Nov. 21.
During fall competition, Kentucky along with any team that visits the UK Rifle Range will follow Southeastern Conference medical guidelines and testing protocol. The Wildcats will also have a winter schedule in 2021 with details announced at a later date.
Every member of the 2020-21 Kentucky rifle team will be a familiar face for Big Blue Nation as the Wildcats bring back a majority of last year’s roster with no newcomers. The Wildcats will bring back four All-America performers from last year’s squad, including Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Shooter and Freshman of the Year, Mary Tucker, who was All-America combined first team by the CRCA and a smallbore, air rifle and combined All-GARC performer. Will Shaner also returns after being All-America first team by the CRCA and a smallbore, air rifle and combined All-GARC performer a season ago. Hailee Sigmon, who is now entering her senior season, was a second-team Collegiate All-America honoree in smallbore and air rifle in 2019-20, while Richard Clark capped his sophomore season last year as honorable mention Collegiate All-American in air rifle.
Tucker and Shaner, who each qualified for the four-member Team USA Air Rifle Olympic Team earlier this year, combined to post eight of the nine smallbore scores of 593 or better last season while they also combined to earn six of the eight 599s that were scored in air rifle. Tucker and Shaner were the only two NCAA shooters to post an aggregate score of 1190 or better last season, with Tucker doing it seven times while Shaner did it twice.
It was a flawless 2019-20 season for the Wildcats, finishing the year undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the final Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Top 20. The two-time national champions were the top qualifier for the 2020 NCAA Rifle Championships, which were canceled due to the ongoing global pandemic. The Wildcats finished the regular season with a perfect 15-0 record, winning the GARC regular-season championship for the first time since 2013 and the GARC Tournament championship for the first time since 2009. It’s the first time the Wildcats have won both in the same year since 2009 as well.
During the season, Kentucky bested its previous school-record aggregate score of 4719 a total of four times, including the nation’s best overall score during the 2019-20 year of 4734 at Army on Jan. 19. UK also surpassed the previous school record with a 4724 vs. Memphis at home on Feb. 1 followed by back-to-back 4723s in a win at West Virginia on Feb. 15 and during the NCAA Qualifier in Lexington on Feb. 22.
UK shined in both disciplines during the year, averaging a 2334.54 in smallbore and 2377.23 in air rifle for a team aggregate average of 4711.77. All told, four of the best nine smallbore team scores in the nation last season were recorded by the Wildcats. UK posted the best air rifle team score in the country last season of 2390 and scored 2380 or better in air rifle six times while the rest of the nation combined for just five scores of 2380 or better in air rifle.
For the latest on the Kentucky rifle team, follow @UKRifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
2020 Kentucky Rifle Fall Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 10 vs. Akron
Saturday, Oct. 17 vs. Army
Saturday, Oct. 31 vs. NC State
Saturday, Nov. 7 at Ole Miss
Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Murray State/Morehead State – Kentucky Long Rifle Match
Saturday, Nov. 21 at Navy
