Peiser Ties NCAA Record, No. 3 Rifle Falls at No. 2 Alaska
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior Braden Peiser tied an NCAA record with a perfect air rifle score of 600-59x as the No. 3 University of Kentucky rifle team posted a 4740 team aggregate score in a loss at No. 2 Alaska on Saturday in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Peiser was the star for Kentucky, finishing second in the individual aggregate standings with a 589 smallbore and his NCAA record 600-59x air rifle. The air rifle school tied Sofia Ceccarello’s 600-59x air rifle score earlier this season and the two will both hold the NCAA record. Peiser was locked in from the start in air rifle and – obviously – posted the highest air rifle score at the match.
Kentucky scored a 2349 in smallbore and 2391 in air rifle for a 4740 team aggregate score, while Alaska posted a 2367 in smallbore and 2390 in air rifle for a 4757 team aggregate. The two teams were supposed to meet Friday in a dual match as well, but due to UK’s equipment not making it to Fairbanks until early Saturday morning, the match had to be canceled.
“Very proud of our crew today. After facing an unpredictable schedule due to travel delays, our team rallied together on our last day here in Alaska,” said UK assistant coach Cat Papasodora. “As a group, they were eager to compete and left their all out on the range, whether it was a win or a loss. As a coach, there’s nothing more I can ask for other than that. We had a number of PRs today, namely Braden’s 600 and Ally’s 591. We look forward to being back in Lexington soon and putting our skills to the test again next weekend.
Senior Allison Buesseler led Kentucky in smallbore with a career-high 591, earning a 198 in kneeling, 200 in prone and 193 in standing with 35 centers. Peiser was right behind her with a 589, earning a 196 kneeling, 198 prone and 193 standing with 38 centers. Freshman Liz Probst and junior Sofia Ceccarello each posted 588s with Probst scoring a 194 kneeling, 197 prone and 197 standing while Ceccarello earned a 198 kneeling, 198 prone and 192 standing with 31 centers. Junior Martin Voss scored a 198 kneeling, 200 prone and 186 standing for a 584, while freshman Sam Adkins posted a 192 kneeling, 197 prone and 194 standing for a 583 score. Freshman Brandon Evans scored a 577 with a 192 in kneeling, 193 in prone and 188 in standing.
In air rifle, Peiser led the way with his 600, followed by 598s from Probst and Ceccarello and a 595 from Adkins. Evans scored a 592, while Voss came in at 591 and Bueeseler at 590.
Next up, the Wildcats will wrap the regular season on Feb. 8 against WVU in Lexington before hosting its NCAA Qualifier on Feb. 22. Postseason competition begins March 1-2 with the Great America Rifle Conference Championships in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Historic Memorial Coliseum is set to host the 2025 NCAA Rifle National Championships on March 14-15 and both all-session tickets and single-session tickets are now on sale. The two-day event will see the best air rifle and smallbore competitors in the nation compete on the Historic Memorial Coliseum floor. The smallbore competition will be March 14 followed by air rifle competition on March 15. All-session and single-session tickets are on sale now through the UK Athletics Account Manager. All-session tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for youth (ages 3-18) and seniors (age 65+). Single-session tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for youth (ages 3-18) and seniors (age 65+). Children ages 2 and under will be admitted free of charge.
For more information on the Kentucky rifle team, visit UKathletics.com or follow UKRifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
