Rifle moves up to No. 4 in CRCA poll
November 8, 2012
Jamie Foland
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The Alaska Nanooks rifle team jumped up three spots in this week's Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Poll to No. 4 after shooting their season-high aggregate score in a victory over then-ranked No. 20 Texas El Paso last Saturday at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range.
The West Virginia Mountaineers, who Alaska will host for a pair of matches Nov. 17-18 in Fairbanks, held on to their first-place ranking. The Kentucky Wildcats, who the Nanooks will compete against on the road on Jan. 13, and the Texas Christian Horned Frogs, who will visit Fairbanks for a pair of matches Jan. 19-21, are second and third, respectively.
The Blue and Gold's season high of 4664, achieved in last Saturday's home win over UTEP, was their best since Feb. 18, 2012, when they bested Jacksonville State and Nebraska in their NCAA Qualifier with a season-high aggregate of 4672.
Sophomore Mats Eriksson and junior Michael Liuzza fired the team's individual high air rifle score of 590 on Saturday, while rookie Soren Butler's 581 in small bore shot in Alaska's tie (and eventual loss via tie-breaker) at Nebraska on Oct. 7.
Alaska will put its three-match home winning streak on the line against West Virginia next weekend. It has not lost at home since Nov. 20, 2011, when it fell to Kentucky, 4646-4691.