Rifle to End Fall Season with Home Match vs. Murray State on Saturday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky rifle team will look to end its 2025 fall schedule on a high note Saturday as it plays host to Murray State for a dual match inside the UK Rifle Range.
Sights and prep for smallbore will begin at 9 a.m. ET with air rifle getting underway at approx. 11:30 a.m. ET. There will only be one relay Saturday. Spectators are invited to watch the live stream of the match up in Barker Hall and enjoy free breakfast during the first part of the relay. The range will be open to spectators for air rifle. Admission is free.
Another way for fans to follow along both in-person and watching at home will be live stream online to help provide a breakdown of the action and how the teams and competitors are performing. Former UK All-American Billy Azzinaro, who helped lead UK to the 2018 NCAA Championship, will be providing commentary of the action on Saturday. The live stream will be available on YouTube and through the UK Rifle Facebook Page, along with live targets and a NCAA scorecard.
“Looking forward to Saturday and seeing if we can end the Fall schedule on a high note with good performance,” UK head coach Harry Mullins said. “We have been on the road a lot the last few months and it will be good to get the entire team into our home range for the first time this season. I really enjoy this group and think we are heading in the right direction and it would be great to have Big Blue Nation come out and support them Saturday.”
As a team this season, Kentucky is averaging a 2347 in smallbore and 2384.33 in air rifle for an aggregate average of 4731.33, which is the fourth-highest in the nation this season. UK’s air rifle average is tops in the nation, while its smallbore average is fifth nationally.
Junior Braden Peiser has led Kentucky this season with impressive numbers in both disciplines. His smallbore average of 595.25 is best in the nation and his air rifle average of 598 is fifth nationally. Peiser’s aggregate average of 1193.25 is also best in the nation.
Also ranking top 15 nationally in aggregate average are sophomore Sam Adkins and senior Sofia Ceccarello. Adkins is averaging a 587.833 in smallbore and 496.667 in air rifle for a 1184.5 aggregate average, while Ceccarello is earning a 585.8 in smallbore and 597 in air rifle for a 1182.8 aggregate average.
Sophomore Liz Probst is having a good season, earning a 583.2 in smallbore and 595.25 in air rifle for a 1178.45 aggregate average.
Last weekend at the WVU Fall Classic, Adkins, Ceccarello and Probst all made both the smallbore and air rifle individual finals. Adkins finished seconded in both, while Ceccarello won the smallbore final and was fourth in air rifle and Probst won the air rifle final and was fifth in smallbore.
Seniors Brandon Evans and Martin Voss are fifth and sixth, respectively on the team in aggregate average. Evans is posting a 580.5 average in smallbore and 592.333 in air rifle for a 1172.833 aggregate average. Voss is posting a 581.8 in smallbore and 588.8 in air rifle for a 1170.6 aggregate average.
Freshmen Jacob St. Hilaire and Elisa Boozer are having great rookie seasons. St. Hilaire is earning a 576.667 smallbore average with a 592 air rifle average for a 1168.667 aggregate. Boozer is posting a 574.833 smallbore and 594 air rifle for a 1168.833 aggregate.
Wrapping up UK’s roster, sophomore Hannah Todd is earning a 569.2 smallbore average and 586.6 air rifle average. Senior AJ Hotko is posting 569 smallbore average and 582 air rifle average, while junior Emily Marne is posting a 554 smallbore average and 566 air rifle average.
Murray State is averaging a 4708.14 team aggregate, earning a 2336.57 in smallbore and 2371.57 in air rifle. The Racers are led by Carlotta Salafia with a 586.8 smallbore and 598.4 air rifle for a 1185.2 aggregate.
