No. 2 Kentucky Rifle Ends Fall Slate Saturday vs. Navy
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 2 University of Kentucky rifle team will conclude its fall schedule Saturday when it squares off virtually with No. 16 Navy starting at 9 a.m. ET. Both teams will be shooting in their home ranges but connected electronically.
Last time out, Kentucky put together one of its best performances of the year, taking home the Kentucky Long Rifle trophy. It was sophomore Mary Tucker who stole the show, shooting a perfect 600 score in air rifle and a career-high 595 in smallbore for a NCAA record 1195 aggregate score. The high aggregate score bested UK’s previous school-record aggregate of 1194, which Henrik Larsen recorded for Kentucky in his historic 2017-18 season.
UK performed well last weekend in the Kentucky Long Rifle Match, earning a team score of 7057 to defeat Murray State and Morehead State. UK scored a 3512 in smallbore and 3545 in air rifle. Junior Will Shaner finished second overall individually, shooting a 590 in smallbore and 593 in air rifle. This is the third year of the Kentucky Long Rifle with Kentucky having won each season.
Tucker and Shaner are putting together a great season for Kentucky and are posting some of the best scores in the nation. The duo are the only players in the nation to scored 595 or higher in smallbore this season, while combined, Tucker and Shaner claim four of the six air rifle scores of 598 or higher this season. Tucker and Shaner are the only two shooters in the NCAA this season to score an aggregate of 1190 or higher with Tucker accomplishing the feat twice.
As a team, the Wildcats have three of the five highest smallbore team scores in the nation this season. UK also had two of the top three air rifle team scores this year while Kentucky’s school-record aggregate score of 4735 two weekend ago at Murray State is still the highest team score in the nation this season.
Navy enters the virtual match with a 3-3 record. The Midshipmen have dual-match wins over VMI, North Carolina State and Coast Guard. Navy’s dual-match losses have come to then-No. Akron, then-No. 6 Air Force and then-No. 5 Army. Navy’s top score this season was a 4670 vs. NC State.
Saturday’s match will conclude the fall season for Kentucky, which will release its winter schedule later this month.
For the latest on the Kentucky rifle team, follow @UKRifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
