Jan. 13, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky rifle team will face off with annual power Army in its first match of the spring academic semester, traveling to West Point, N.Y., for a matchup with the Black Knights on Saturday at the Tronsrue Markmanship Center.
Kentucky (5-2) has been idle since suffering a 4691-4642 loss to defending NCAA Champion West Virginia on Nov. 21 in Morgantown, W. Va. The Wildcats other lone loss came at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, the site of the 2010 NCAA Championships. UK has added wins over N.C. State, Memphis, Murray State, Jacksonville State and Ohio State.
“Training has been going well,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “It was a great idea to come back a week early to get our cobwebs out and get our feet back on the ground. We have had some good training performances. We are going to pick up where we left off last semester – shooting solid numbers across the board and getting more consistent performances from the top.”
The Wildcats have been led by senior Ashley Jackson, who is having a breakthrough season. Fellow seniors Leslie Angeli, Tom Csenge and Jen Pason have helped anchor the UK club. Sophomores Ethan Settlemires and Megan English have enjoyed stellar performances early in the year, with freshmen Katie Fretts and Heather Greathouse pushing for a spot on the first team.
“It is always a great range (at West Point),” Mullins said. “It is a very nice range with really good facilities. It is a neat atmosphere. We stay on campus so it is a neat experience for the kids. Army is going to be very hungry. They are working their way back into the top eight to get into the NCAAs. They have had some great performances. This is not going to be an easy match. Army is a talented team that has the ability to put up good numbers. It will be a close match and a good rivalry, because the two coaches know each other for 20-plus years and because there have been great competitions between the schools.”
Army (5-2) is coming off a 4606-4250 win over the Coast Guard Academy on Dec. 6 at West Point.
