No. 4 UK Rifle Edges No. 8 Nebraska for First Top-10 Win of 2016
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The fourth-ranked Kentucky rifle
team received it’s first top-10 win of the season on Sunday after it
defeated No. 8 Nebraska 4683-4675 at home.
“We worked very hard for every point on the board today,”
head coach Harry Mullins said. “This is our first two-match weekend and we must
make sure that we have the energy to be able to go for the duration of that
time. We ran out of gas at times and gave up some easy points, but that is
behind us.”
Billy Azzinaro finished as the top individual for the
Wildcats after he put together an 1169 aggregate comprised of scores of 591 in
air rifle and 578 in smallbore.
Heather Kirby set another personal record as she did in
the last match. The senior fired a 598 in air rifle, which matches the
team-high score for the season.
“I am very excited for Heather,” Mullins said. “In time,
we will see more of those performances from others on the team. Heather fought
hard throughout the entire match and had a good showing this weekend.”
Hanna Carr finished in fourth place overall after
shooting her third-highest smallbore score of the season, 585, and followed
with a 583 in air rifle. Carr finished one point below Azzinaro and tied with
Kirby at 1168.
Sophomore Cathryn Papasodora set her new season-high
score in air rifle for the second consecutive match. The Alaska native fired a
592 in the discipline, edging her previous best by one point.
Jason Spaude matched his career high in air rifle of 588
that he almost passed against Akron. He shot 579 in smallbore, which is two
points shy of his personal best that he set in the previous match.
Kentucky will take a week’s rest before traveling to
Fairbanks, Alaska, to take on NC State on Friday, Nov. 18, and Alaska-Fairbanks
Nov. 19.
