LINCOLN, Neb. — The Kentucky rifle team travels to Lincoln, Neb., for its first road action of the season, as the Wildcats square off with the Nebraska Cornhuskers Friday and the defending NCAA Champion Alaska-Fairbanks on Saturday.
?This weekend will present a very tough test for our team,? Kentucky head coach Harry Mullins said. ?This is Nebraska?s first match of the season and it is also a conference match for us. Nebraska always starts the season out very strong and they have a very talented group this year. Our guys are going to have their A game in full swing to bring home a couple of wins.?
Kentucky opened up its season with a win over Ohio State in Columbus. UK, which finished fourth at the 2006-07 NCAA Championships, got solid performances from arguably its top two shooters on the team, Tom Csenge and Jen Pason. Csenge posted a 593 air rifle score to lead the Wildcats, while Pason tallied a 575 smallbore total and a 579 air rifle score. Senior co-captain Ray Geyer had a banner day for UK, as the Stamping Ground, Ky., native, notched a 587 air rifle total and a 583 smallbore score.
?Alaska is coming into Nebraska from Texas Christian and UTEP where they competed earlier in the week,? Mullins said. ?They were at TCU on Wednesday and will shoot against us on Saturday. This will be a good test after having the match at Ohio State. Our performance in training has yielded many 10?s; we just need to work on eliminating some of the wide shots this weekend and the numbers should fall into place. The team has worked hard these past few weeks and they are really excited to hit the road again. This weekend will be a good test to see if the hard work that they have put in is starting to pay off.?
UK will square off with Nebraska Friday afternoon before facing the two-time NCAA Champion Alaska-Fairbanks. Last season, UK topped the Cornhuskers and fell in dramatic fashion to the Nanooks. UK and Alaska-Fairbanks both posted season-high scores in its regular season meeting last season, with UK narrowly losing 4680-4689.
?Having Nebraska as the first conference match does not make me the happiest person because they are going to be a strong team this year with their new coach Morgan Hicks? Mullins said. ?They will be very hungry and out to prove themselves. They are a top-five team in the country this season. With Nebraska and Alaska back to back we have our work cut out for us.?
