TCU Set For NCAA Championships
3/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rifle
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The TCU Rifle team will look to shake off the Alaskan cold as it competes for its third national title in school history.
TCU has had a tremendous amount of success in the National Championships the last eight seasons. They reached the pinnacle in both 2010 and 2012 as they took home the team National Championship as well as the Air Rifle National Championship in both 2010 and 2012. In 2013, the squad took home their first-ever Smallbore National Championship. They have notched two fifth-place finishes (2007 and 2009), third place finishes in 2008, 2011 and 2013 as well as a sixth place finish in 2014. Additionally, Sarah Scherer took home the individual smallbore national championships in 2010 and 2012.
The University of Alaska-Fairbanks is hosting the event for the first time since 2007. Smallbore competition will run Friday at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT, with air rifle going Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. CT at Patty Gymnasium.
The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution. The top eight teams in both the smallbore three-position and air rifle events were selected based on the average of the three highest regular-season aggregate scores with no more than one match at any given site. The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores from the designated qualifiers to determine the top eight teams.
Shooters from various qualifying and non-qualifying teams will also compete in their respective disciplines each day for individual honors. Festivities include the first-ever NCAA Rifle Championship Fanfest, running from noon-8 p.m. local time on Friday.
Junior Hannah Black, sophomores Katie Bridges and Sally Li and freshmen Ariana Grabowski and Mindy Miles will be the five Horned Frog shooters representing the program.
TCU's success this year has been marked by a balanced lineup. Miles' 592-point average in air rifle is the tops on the team, followed by Black and Li with 591-point clips apiece. Black and Li share the team lead in smallbore (580) with Grabowski close behind in third (578).
Momentum in the air rifle discipline will be a major factor for the Horned Frogs in the NCAA Championships, as Miles, Black and Li have taken turns contributing a 596-point performance or better in each of the last five matches. Miles' perfect score at the PRC finals was the fifth-such instance in NCAA history, and in the next match Li missed the 600-point plateau with a 9.9 in her only non-perfect shot.
Bridges' performance in the NCAA Qualifier was the most memorable of her career, as she established a career-high 1,169-point aggregate score while tying personal-best tallies of 589 and 580 points in air rifle and smallbore, respectively.
Air Force qualified for the Championships in 2013, but missed in 2014. Meredith Carpentier made it as an individual in 2014, and earned All-American accolades in both disciplines. Kevyn Stinett and Tyler Rico have each fired team-high 595s in air rifle.
Alaska has won each of the last two Patriot Rifle Conference Championships. Tim Sherry's 586-point showing gave him the top smallbore honors, while Ryan Anderson and Lorelie Stanfield contributed 593-point performances in air rifle.
Cole Tucker and Brandon Muske lead Jacksonville State in air rifle with 590 and 589-point averages, respectively. Samantha Bullard holds the top spot in smallbore (581) with a pair of Gamecocks tying for second with 578-point clips.
Kentucky's Connor Davis is the defending NCAA Air Rifle champion. He is third in the nation in average aggregate score (1,174) and is second in smallbore with a 583-point average. Heather Kirby has been the Wildcats' top performer in air rifle (591).
Murray State finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference. Ben Estes has been a valuable asset with 584 and 580-point totals in air rifle and smallbore, respectively, with the latter leading the squad. Ivan Roe, another freshman, has shot a 590 over the course of the season for the team-lead in air rifle average.
Nebraska rewrote the record books in its NCAA Qualifier. The Huskers' 2,363 points in air rifle tied the program's best performance ever, and the 4,690 aggregate points tied for the second-best total. Four shooters fired a 590 or better on the day.
West Virginia, with 16 titles under its belt, poses arguably the biggest threat to the field as the two-time defending champion. Ziva Dvorsak has shot a 596 in air rifle or better 10 times on the year, and six shooters have fired a 585 or better in smallbore.
Relay Schedule (All times Central)
Friday - Smallbore First Heat - 11 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Second Heat - 1:45 - 3:30 p.m. Third Heat - 4:30 - 6:15 p.m. Fourth Heat - 7:15 - 9 p.m. Finals Heat - 10 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday - Air Rifle First Heat - 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Second Heat - 1:15 - 2:30 p.m. Third Heat - 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. Finals Heat - 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Players Mentioned
