March 14, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Kentucky rifle team posted a 4638 overall team score in the final round of the 2008-09 NCAA Championships, finishing second behind West Virginia’s 4643 total score, marking UK’s third all-time second-place finish, Saturday afternoon at Texas Christian’s Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
After the Friday’s smallbore competition, UK sat one point shy of the first-place team, Jacksonville State. The Wildcats were led in smallbore by junior Ashley Jackson, who narrowly lost the individual smallbore national title by .01 of a point.
In Saturday’s competition, Tom Csenge paced UK with a 585 in air rifle, while freshman Ethan Settlemires totaled a 581. Jackson continued to shoot extremely well, posting a 586, with freshman Megan English’s 575 rounding out the starting lineup.
Kentucky’s second place finish is its third all-time runner-up finish and its 15th top-10 finish in the last 16 seasons. Last year, UK finished fifth, and in 2007 the Wildcats posted a fourth-place finish.
West Virginia, a Great American Rifle Conference foe who Kentucky edged in the regular season meeting and the tournament championship, was led by Bryan Wallizer (591) and Andy Lamson (589) in air rifle.
