LEXINGTON, Ky. — A week after knocking off the defending NCAA Champion Alaska-Fairbanks, the Kentucky rifle team returns to action with its first home match of the season, playing host to Ole Miss on Friday and N.C. State and Morehead State on Sunday.
?The team has been working very hard and putting in some long hours on the range this past week,? Kentucky head coach Harry Mullins said. ?I feel that the result in Nebraska really fueled the fire for the work ethic that the team already has. We have been very focused on our goals of reaching the magic numbers and I hope that this weekend will be another step in the right direction.?
Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 Great American Rifle Conference) traveled to Lincoln, Neb., last weekend for a pair of high-impact matches with Nebraska and Alaska-Fairbanks. UK earned a hard fought victory over the Cornhuskers and a crucial win over Alaska-Fairbanks, the winners of the past two NCAA Championships. Last season, UK claimed the GARC regular season and tournament championships, with its lone loss in regular season action coming at the hands of Alaska.
Leading the charge for UK has been several shooters including Pason and senior co-captain Ray Geyer. Junior Andrew Roland has also provided a steady hand, along with sophomore Tom Csenge. Pason and Roland earned team shooter of the week honors after leading the team in its stellar weekend in Lincoln. Pason, the 2006-07 Great American Rifle Conference Rookie of the Year, notched a 590 air rifle score and a 586 smallbore score in UK?s win over Nebraska. In Saturday?s match with the defending NCAA Champion, Roland earned the starting nod in smallbore, posting a personal best 585 total score and shooting for a team-high combined score in both guns.
?Coming off an emotional high at Nebraska, this weekend will be a good test for us,? Mullins said. ?We will have to stay focused and keep our mental game at its best against both schools. This test will show us whether we can maintain the high tempo of scores. After a conference win at Nebraska, the matches with Ole Miss and N.C. State are extra important in the conference race.?
