Huskers Finish Sixth at Roger Withrow Invitational

Murray, Ky. - On the strength of a third-place showing in air rifle, the Nebraska rifle team finished sixth overall at the Roger Withrow Invitational over the weekend. The match took place over three days with Nebraska firing on Saturday, Jan. 26. With the final results tallied late Sunday night, Nebraska finished sixth with an aggregate score of 5,998, which included a third-place finish in air rifle (1,545) and a seventh-place finish in smallbore (4,454).

Nebraska was bolstered by the steady hand of sophomore Melissa Downsbrough. In the air rifle, Downsbrough smashed her personal best with a career-high 396, which tied the school record held by Nicole Allaire. Downsbrough's score, which ranks among the top eight fired in the nation this season, gave the State College, Pa., native her second consecutive air rifle title. Senior Rachel Spiry also had a career day. The Lincoln, Neb., native tied her personal best with a 389 to finish tied for sixth. In addition, junior Terim Richards tied for 10th with a 387, while sophomore Karen Aspden tied for 37th with a 372.

The Huskers, who were without two of their top smallbore shooters, struggled with the .22 caliber rifle firing a 4,454, its lowest score since Dec. 4, 1999, when the Huskers fired a 4,436. Downsbrough was the Huskers' top shooter, firing a 1,158 to finish ninth. Spiry shot a 1,126, while Aspden totaled a 1,087. Freshman Laura Johnson rounded out the scoring with a career-high 1,083.

Despite its smallbore shooting woes, Coach Karen Anthony said she was pleased with the air rifle performance.

"The highlight of the match was Melissa's air rifle score," Anthony said. "This is a superb performance and puts her up with the top scores shot nationally throughout the season. Needless to say, we are delighted with her performance and with her score. Rachel and Terim are capable of better performances and have been working through some slumping scores in recent months, but they still produced good scores. They helped us post a solid team total."

Nebraska was also in action against Austin Peay on Sunday. The Huskers competed only in air rifle, topping the Lady Govs, 1,530-1,475. Richards led the Huskers with a season-high 390, while Downsbrough fired a 385. Spiry shot a 381, followed by Aspden with a 374. Johnson, who competed as an individual, fired a 368.

The Huskers will take a week off before heading to Cincinnati, Ohio, on Feb. 9, to face Xavier.