NU Rifle Team Qualifies for Nationals

Lincoln -- In just its second year of competition, the Nebraska rifle team will compete for the national title at the NCAA championships in Lexington, Va., March 9-11th.

The Huskers, one of only five teams to qualify for the national meet with both rifles, saved their best shots for last when they fired a season-high score of 4,593 in the smallbore at a sectional match hosted by Xavier University on Feb. 12. That total placed them sixth in the nation, while their air rifle score of 1,530 placed them seventh overall. The teams with the top seven scores in each rifle (fired at several sectional matches across the nation over the past two weeks) qualified for nationals.

The Huskers also placed two shooters in each of the individual events. Representing the Huskers in the individual smallbore competition will be freshman Nicole Allaire, whose score of 1,170 was the fifth-highest score recorded at a sectional match. Joining Allaire is fellow freshman Amanda Trujillo, who shot a 1,162 to finish 10th overall. Allaire and sophomore Terim Richards will also represent Nebraska in the individual air rifle competition. Allaire finished 11th overall (389), while Richards claimed the 14th-best score at a sectional match, firing a 388.

The Nebraska rifle team includes Nicole Allaire (Kearny, N.J.), Terim Richards (Louisville, Neb.), Victoria Ridge (Langhorne, Pa.), Rachel Spiry (Lincoln, Neb.) and Amanda Trujillo (Brush, Colo.).

The national championships will take place at the Virginia Military Institute with the individual competition beginning on March 10, followed by the team competition on March 11.

Smallbore	Air Rifle
1. Alaska-Fairbanks - 4,682	1. Alaska-Fairbanks - 1,573
2. Norwich - 4,626	2. Xavier - 1,551
3. Xavier - 4,610	3. Norwich - 1,541
4. U.S. Air Force Academy - 4,595	4. Navy - 1,534
5. West Virginia - 4,595	5. Jackson State - 1,532
6. Nebraska - 4,593	6. Murray State - 1,531
7. Navy - 4,591	7. Nebraska - 1,530