Nov. 1, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky rifle team hits the road for the first time this year, traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, to face the eighth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET.
“We’re very excited to get on the road, it’s always fun to travel,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “This is always a fun trip, TCU is always very hospitable. The team has worked hard this week to prepare and I’m confident we’re going to use this weekend to continue toward our goals. We have to overcome some of our small hurdles that the team has handled well in training and now it’s time to put that to test in a different environment.”
Kentucky’s smallbore counters feature seniors Emily and Aaron Holsopple, junior Elijah Ellis, sophomore Connor Davis and freshman Sonya May. Air rifle counters include Emily Holsopple, Ellis, Davis, May and freshman Heather Kirby.
“We’re excited to have two freshmen traveling,” Mullins said. “With that being said, the rest of the team is working hard and some are very close behind in making the traveling team so I could see some others getting the opportunity to travel soon.”
Kentucky is coming off two home wins this past weekend, defeating North Carolina State 4687-4613 on Friday, before taking down Memphis 4693-4644 on Sunday. Emily Holsopple has led the way the Wildcats in smallbore, averaging a team-best 584.7 through three contests. Davis holds the highest air rifle average to this point, averaging 594.3.
TCU has won two contests in four competitions this year, winning the Tiger Open with a 4652 to open the year and defeating The Citadel with a 4652. Shooting a season-best 4661, the Horned Frogs placed second at the Ole Miss Invitational. Most recently, TCU fired a 4650 to place third behind Murray State and Jacksonville State in Murray, Ky.
“TCU is a quality program, they’ve won two national championships in the past four years and our matches with them are always close,” Mullins said. “They are a stronger team than the numbers they have shown in the past couple weeks so I expect them to put up a number more reflective of their ability this weekend. I expect it to be a great match and both teams to bring their A-game.”
Live scoring will not be available so follow @UKRifle on Twitter for updates throughout the match.
