No. 3 UK Rifle Opens Season at No. 10 Murray State

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 3 Kentucky rifle team will begin the 2019-20 season Saturday when the Wildcats travel to the western part of the state to compete at No. 10 Murray State. The match will begin at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT (local) with live targets updated online at UKathletics.com. 
 
“Starting the season on the road is always a good test,” head coach Harry Mullins said. “I feel that we have put in a solid effort leading to this point and that the team is ready to test themselves. Murray State is a good program, so I think this will be a good match to start the season.”
 
Kentucky placed fifth at the 2019 NCAA Championship and returns three of the five shooters from last year’s squad in sophomore Will Shaner and juniors, Richard Clark and Hailee Sigmon. The Wildcats begin the fall as the No. 3-ranked team in the country after the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association’s preseason poll was released earlier this week.
 
Murray State returns two of its shooters from a team that placed fourth at last year’s championship. The Racers started their season last weekend, defeating No. 14 Jacksonville State and No. 17 UT-Martin in a tri-match. They posted a score of 4652.
 
The Wildcats have defeated the Racers in nine of the last 10 matches between the two squads, splitting the previous two years. Kentucky beat Murray State in Lexington last October by a score of 4718-4685.
 
Two Wildcats had a busy summer competing on the international level. Shaner competed in both the World University Games in Naples, Italy, and the ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the World University Games, Shaner finished 12th in men’s air rifle and eight in the mixed team event. Freshman Mary Tucker also competed at the ISSF World Cup, placing eighth in the 10-meter women’s air rifle.
 
“I am very proud of both their performances this summer,” Mullins said. “They have worked hard to get to this point in their shooting careers, and if they keep working hard, I think we will see some special things from both of them in the future.”
 
UK will have its home opener at the Buell Armory on Oct. 19 for a tri-match with in-state foes Murray State and No. 16 Morehead State.
 
The Wildcats will start the spring season by traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to compete against Alaska Fairbanks and Ole Miss on Jan. 11.
 
This season’s GARC Championships will be in Memphis, Tennessee, on Feb. 28-29. Kentucky will play host to the 2019 NCAA Championships in Memorial Coliseum on March 13-14.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky rifle team, follow @UKrifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.