WEST POINT, N.Y. — After a 20-day layoff since placing second at the 2007-08 Great American Rifle Conference Championships, the Kentucky rifle team returns to action, traveling to West Point, N.Y., to compete in the 2007-08 NCAA Championships, hosted at the United States Military Academy, at Christl Arena.

?We are real excited to get underway on Friday morning with the NCAA Championships,? Kentucky head coach Harry Mullins said. ?We will be looking to build upon our fourth-place finish last year, and to do so, we will need to get some good efforts from each of our shooters. This team has worked very hard in training over the past few weeks and they are eager to begin competition on a big stage.?

Kentucky leads the field with a total of six qualifiers, as senior Jake Savitts and sophomore Leslie Angeli each qualified individually, in addition to UK?s four-shooter starting lineup. Tom Csenge, Jen Pason, Andrew Roland, Ray Geyer and Ashley Jackson make up the lineup, with Jackson and Roland alternating between air rifle and smallbore competition.

?I am really excited that Jake Savitts and Leslie Angeli qualified individually,? Mullins said. ?They have worked extremely hard and deserve to be here as much as anyone. Jake has been the heart of this team for four years and we are really excited for him to get to compete individually at the NCAA Championships. Leslie is becoming one of the top shooters in the nation and that is because her dedication and work ethic, which enables her to improve everyday.?

The Wildcats will be seeking their 14th top-10 finish in the last 15 years, and to build upon the 2006-07 fourth-place finish. UK has finished as high as second, on multiple occasions, as well as placing third three. Alaska-Fairbanks, a team UK beat during the regular season, returns as the two-time defending national champion. Nebraska, Nevada, TCU, Army, Navy and West Virginia make up the field.

Smallbore will be on Friday, with the air rifle portion of the competition coming on Saturday.