Huskers Pick Up Pair of Conference Wins

Palmyra, Pa. ? The Nebraska rifle team returned from a month-long layoff this weekend and defeated a pair of Great American Rifle Conference foes. The Huskers dispatched the West Virginia Mountaineers 6,149-6,012 in a modified course of fire on Friday before defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 4,635-4,605 on Saturday.

The Huskers were paced Saturday by strong performances in both disciplines from sophomore Kristina Fehlings and a career-best performance in smallbore from freshman Katie Harrington. Fehlings shot a 581 in smallbore, while firing a 590 in air rifle. Harrington fired a 580 in smallbore. Overall, the Huskers defeated the Wildcats 2,313-2,301 in smallbore and 2,322-2,304 in air rifle.

On Friday, Fehlings again set the pace for the Huskers in both disciplines, shooting a modified scoring 1,175 in smallbore and 387 in air rifle. Nebraska’s Friday performance will also count as the team’s score in the Palmyra Invitational, a tournament shot throughout the month of January.

Head Coach Launi Meili was pleased with the way her team stepped up to fill the void left by the absence of All-American Misty Chanek, who did not travel after having her wisdom teeth removed.

“It is good to see that the girls are headed in the right direction,” Meili said. “They really came together as a team and put in solid performances. Everyone on the team is really showing that they can be consistent shooters.”

The Huskers will return to action Jan. 29 for a conference home match with the Xavier Musketeers beginning at 8 a.m. at the NU Rifle Range.