RIFLE TEAM COMPLETES OVC CHAMPIONSHIPS; THREE SHOOTERS BRING HOME FOUR ALL-OVC HONORS
MOREHEAD, Ky. – The University of Tennessee at Martin mixed rifle team finished third, while the women’s team placed sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference rifle championships held at the Button Rifle Range on the campus of Morehead State University.
The Skyhawk mixed team piled up an aggregate score of 4,571 (2,312 air rifle, 2,259 smallbore), while the women’s squad accounted for 4,452 points (2,257 air rifle, 2,195 smallbore). Jacksonville State won the two-day event with a cumulative score of 4,653 (2,345 air rifle, 2,308 smallbore).
UT Martin sophomore Steve Hahn racked up two individual awards, earning All-OVC first team accolades in smallbore and All-OVC second team in air rifle. Dana Maurizio was also named to the league’s second team in air rifle, while freshman Nikki Kroll was one of five members on the OVC All-Newcomer air rifle squad.
In the smallbore portion of the championships held on Saturday, Hahn’s score of 576 tied for the third-highest tally out of 30 competitors. Mark McClallen compiled 564 points while Joe Barefoot fired a 563. Sean O’Brien registered a 556 and Maurizio recorded 546 points to round out the scoring for the mixed team.
On the women’s side, Kelly James’ 552 points led the team in smallbore. Jamie Arnett followed closely behind with 549 points, while Kroll amassed a score of 548. Jennifer Greeves (546) and Jordan Goodwin (533) closed out the point total for the women’s squad.
Maurizio and Hahn each accounted for 583 points to lead the mixed team in the air rifle event that took place on Sunday morning. McClallen was responsible for a 577 score, followed by tallies of 569 and 568 by Barefoot and Jessica Cobb, respectively.
James (573) once again paced the women’s team in air rifle. Kroll fired a 571, followed by Arnett (558), Goodwin (555) and Greeves (529).
The Skyhawks will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the NRA Sectional/NCAA Qualifier in Murray, Ky.