UK Rifle Opens 2024 With Win at Army
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Coming back from the holiday break, the No. 3-ranked Kentucky rifle team returned to action Saturday with a 4732-4690 win over No. 16 Army at the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center in West Point.
With the victory, Kentucky improved to 7-1 on the season. The Wildcats will remain in West Point for a match vs. No. 7-ranked Nebraska, slated to start Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Tronsrue Center. Live targets and an NCAA scorecard will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Kentucky opened the match with a 20-point lead in smallbore, 2348 to 2328. The Wildcats also won the air rifle, 2384 to 2362. UK’s 4732 aggregate is the second-highest team score of the season.
Sofia Ceccarello led all competitors in smallbore with a 591 score and took home aggregate honors with a total of 1188. Emmie Sellers won the air rifle division, pounding the zone with a career-high-tying 598.
Three other Wildcats had career-best marks – Martin Voss 595 in air rifle; Jaden Thompson equaled her personal best in smallbore with a 588 tally; and Emily Marne had a career-high 563 in smallbore and tied her career aggregate at 1135.
Kentucky results SB AR Aggregate
Sofia Ceccarello 591 597 1188
Braden Peiser 586 596 1183
Emmie Sellers 580 598+ 1178
Martin Voss 582 595* 1177
Jaden Thompson 588+ 589 1177
Allison Buesseler 578 593 1171
AJ Hotko 570 593* 1163
Emily Marne 563* 572 1135+
* career high
+ tied career high
After a 54-day layoff between competitions, Coach Harry Mullins was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I was proud of the effort, a good day’s work for the first day back,” Mullins said. “Sofia had a good day and Braden had a solid day on both guns. Emmie, Martin, AJ and Jaden all had career highs.
“I saw some good things and saw some we can work on. Hopefully we’ll repair some things tomorrow.”
Sunday’s opponent, Nebraska, is averaging a 2333.33 in smallbore and 2375.17 in air rifle for an aggregate average of 4708.50. Cecelia Ossi leads the team with a 585.667 smallbore average and 594.833 air rifle average. The Cornhuskers have a 4-5 record this season.
