Fifth-ranked rifle shoots season-high in air rifle
February 19, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
The Alaska rifle team completed the air rifle portion of its NCAA qualifier with a season-high performance on Sunday at the UTEP Rifle Range.
The Nanooks compiled a 2359 in air gun, and coupled with their 2313 yesterday in smallbore, their combined 4672 was the second highest team score of the entire year. Nevada shot 2325 for a combined 4613 and Texas El Paso registered a 2298 for a combined score of 4532.
“We have two weeks to get a lot of work done but I have some ideas of things to work on to try and help get people out of their comfort zones and the confidence to shoot up to their potential,” head coach Dan Jordan said.
Sophomore Mats Eriksson (Malung, Sweden/Business management) shot a season- and personal-best 593 to lead all shooters in action at UTEP. Sophomore Ryan Anderson (Great Falls, Va./Biology) was one point behind Eriksson with a tie for his season- and personal-best of 592 in the air gun.
Junior Michael Liuzza (New Orleans, La./Business administration) registered a 588, which was about two points above his season average and junior Dustin Chesebro (Laramie, Wyo./Engineering) chipped in a 586 while senior Cole Bures (Odell, Neb./Electrical engineering) had a 575.
The team's non air rifle-scoring members included freshmen Tim Sherry (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mechanical engineering), Soren Butler (Casselton, Idaho/General studies) and Lorelie Stanfield (Fairbanks, Alaska/Emergency management). Sherry tallied 583, Butler compiled a 581 and Stanfield added a 575.
Nevada's Clif Little trailed Alaska's top four but led the WolfPack with a 584 while UTEP's Jennifer Armendariz also shot a 584 to lead the Miners.
With the official announcement coming out later in the week that will determine the eight programs as well as any other individuals that qualified for the NCAA Championship, Jordan said in an e-mail he believes the team will be seeded fourth.
The championship will take place at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, from March 8-9 at the Converse Hall & French Field House.