Oct. 25, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky rifle team improved to 2-0 Friday, defeating No. 15 North Carolina State 4687-4613 at the Buell Armory, with sophomore Connor Davis shooting a second consecutive 595 in air rifle.
“I thought we had another good day,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “I was real happy with having four in the 580s in smallbore with the potential for some more up and coming. I feel that if we keep working as hard as we have been then the small things will come together and make a difference in where we want to be on the overall team score.”
The Wildcats took the lead after smallbore, leading after the first smallbore relay 2316-2279. Counters Emily and Aaron Holsopple led the way in the first relay with 583s, while freshmen Sonya May and Heather Kirby shot 581 and 569, respectively.
Sophomore Connor Davis shot in the second relay as a counter, improving Kentucky’s smallbore lead to 2327-2279 with a 580 later in the day.
With a 573 in smallbore, freshman Jason Sharbel improved six points today against his 567 in last weekend’s match vs. Ole Miss.
Kentucky increased its lead and claimed the win in air rifle, posting a 2360 to NC State’s 2324.
May delivered the best air rifle score in the first relay with a 590, while Emily Holsopple was just two points behind with a 588. Kirby posted another strong performance in air rifle with a 589.
Davis boosted the Wildcats’ air rifle score later in the day with a 595, his second 595 in two matches this year. Junior Ethan Marne posted a 581 in air rifle, while Sharbel shot a 583.
“Our air rifle was a little down this time from the larger numbers but we had eight at 580 or above,” Mullins said. “Ethan Marne and Jason Sharbel had personal best in air rifle, which I was very proud of.”
The Wildcats return to action on Sunday against the sixth-ranked Memphis Tigers. Memphis will face off with North Carolina State on Saturday in Lexington before taking on Kentucky on Sunday. The Tigers have finished third in the Tiger Open and Ole Miss Open, shooting a 4629 and 4647, respectively.
Live scoring of Sunday’s match will be on UKrifle.com.
“Overall, the effort that the team put in was strong,” Mullins said. “We just need to keep working on the fine points and I think we will get to the place where we want to be.”
