The University of Kentucky rifle team finished in second place out of the 21 teams competing at theWithrow Invitational in Murray, Ky., over the weekend. Alaska-Fairbanks won the competition with a teamtotal of 6273, with the Cats close behind with a 6215.

The Cats were led by freshman Bradley Wheeldon, who took third place honors overall, whilefinishing fifth in smallbore with a score of 1176 and tied for third in air rifle with a 393. AF’s Matt Emmonstook top honors in air rifle with a perfect 400, en route to the top overall total of 1592, just eight points shyof a perfect match. Also shooting for the Cats were James Nash, who finished ninth in smallbore andseventh in air rifle, and Crystal Hamilton, who tallied a 1540 in the event. Freshman Lindsey Meagher shotan 1160 in smallbore, while senior Taryn Lewis contributed a 391 in air rilfe to round out the squad’sscoring efforts.

The Kentucky White squad, comprised of backup shooters, also shot in the event and finished inseventh place with a 5971. The squad was led by freshman Melody Cook, who notched a 1511 overall.

“I’m really impressed with the way our entire team came in and shot today,” Coach Harry Mullins said.”I was really impressed, not only with the way our primary team shot but also with the finish that ouryounger athletes made. This was definitely a positive day for us. Our next goal is to qualify for nationalswithin the coming weeks.”

The squad returns to action on Friday, Feb. 2, when it plays host to the Morehead State Eagles in theBuell Armory, located on UK’s campus.