Nebraska Hosts Air Force in Season Opener

The 2005-06 Nebraska rifle season gets under way this Saturday, Oct. 22, as the Huskers welcome the Air Force Falcons for a two-day match beginning at 8 a.m.  NU welcomes back the entirety of its 2005 GARC Championship team and hopes to make a move this season toward the program’s first NCAA team title.

 

Nebraska boasts an 11-2 all-time record against the Falcons, which includes a five-match win streak that extends through October of 2003.  Air Force enters the meet with a win already under its belt as it topped the University of Missouri-Kansas 4,576-4,499 last week in Colorado Springs, Colo.

 

Huskers Strive for Consistency in Title Pursuit

The roster of the 2005-06 Nebraska rifle team might be the same as last season, but for the eight individuals who comprise it, this year presents a completely different opportunity. 

 

After spending half of the 2004-05 campaign with only a partial lineup, the Huskers are excited to take on a new season with a full crew, and Head Coach Launi Meili expects the group to push toward its ultimate goal of an NCAA title.  

 

That level for the Huskers is the one that has eluded them for seven years: an NCAA Team Championship.  After finishing the 2004-05 season with a 9-1 record and earning a conference title, Nebraska finished third at the NCAA Championships, tying the program’s highest finish in history.  With so many highly respected accomplishments, it is hard to believe the Huskers are still striving for more.  An NCAA team title has always been Nebraska’s goal and Meili knows that in order to achieve it, her program will have to focus on remaining consistent.

 

Leading the team this season is lone senior Misty Chanek, a two-time NRA All-American in both smallbore and air rifle.  Chanek has finished as high as 10th nationally in both disciplines over the last three seasons, and Meili looks for this year to be Chanek’s opportunity to make a run for an individual title.

 

Joining Chanek in the hunt for national honors are junior Kristina Fehlings and sophomore Andrea Franz?n.  Fehlings, the 2005 Great America Rifle Conference Shooter of the Year, has garnered numerous All-America accolades over the past two seasons and is on pace to become one of Nebraska’s most highly decorated shooters. 

 

Franz?n, one of two international competitors on the Nebraska roster, exploded onto the U.S. collegiate scene during her freshman year, garnering CRCA All-America status and finishing second overall nationally in air rifle.   

 

Nebraska’s other international influence comes from sophomore Eva Richert, a native of Germany who brought depth to the air rifle lineup in 2005.  This season, Meili expects Richert to become a major contributor in both events and looks for her to finish in the top four nationally in either event.

 

Another bright spot in the NU lineup will be junior Kim Chrostowski.  Chrostowski is a current member of the Championship of America’s Team and will represent the United States in the CAT Championships in Puerto Rico in November. 

 

Rounding out Nebraska’s impressive field is junior Stacy Underwood and sophomores Katie Harrington and Kirsten Weiss.  Underwood led the Huskers in 2004-05 as the team captain and shot most of the season as an individual. 

 

Although both Harrington and Weiss are relatively young in terms of experience, each spent the offseason working at both the national and international levels, which should put them in prime positions to help the Huskers this season.