Huskers Seek Conference Title This Weekend

The No. 10 Nebraska rifle team will travel to Morgantown, W.Va. to compete in the GARC Championships. The Huskers will compete against Memphis, Akron, Army, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Kentucky, NC State and Navy. Match action for the first smallbore relay is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. CT on Saturday (Feb. 24). Air rifle will begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Last Time Out

NU last competed in Murray, Ky. at the NCAA Qualifiers against Murray State. Emily Cheramie’s mark of 585 in smallbore paced Nebraska in a season-high team smallbore score of 2,324. Samantha Peterson tied her season high (591) to lead the team in air rifle. The Huskers ultimately fell short of a victory as a final score of 4,672 was not enough to overcome the Racers’ aggregate score of 4,710. The match counted as the Huskers’ NCAA Qualifier match, hopefully placing them in the top eight teams nationwide and earning them a spot in the NCAA Championships. The results will be announced tonight (Feb. 21) at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.

Scouting Memphis

The Tigers are 0-8 going into the GARC Championships, with the most recent outing being a loss against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. The Huskers hold a 29-5 record against Memphis since 1999, having won the last eight matches. Shooters to watch are sophomore Levi Clark and junior Leighton Dempster.

Scouting Akron

Akron currently holds a 7-7 record for the 2017-18 season. The Zips evened the win-loss percentage in their most recent competition, falling to Air Force but defeating Navy and VMI. Nebraska hold a 10-0 all-time record against Akron since 2001 and will look to continue the trend. Shooters to watch are freshman Wyatt Openshaw and junior Caleb Lloyd.

Scouting Army

A win over MIT in Army’s NCAA Qualifier match gave the team a 9-9 record going into the GARC Championships. Nebraska holds a 21-16 overall record against Army dating back to 1999, winning nine of the last ten meetings. Junior Payne Nunn is the shooter to watch.

Scouting Ole Miss

Ole Miss currently holds a 7-5 record and is currently on a three-match winning streak. The Huskers have defeated the Rebels 27 times in 33 meetings since 2001. Shooters to watch are Harley Gardner and freshman Emily Cock.

Scouting West Virginia

Top-ranked West Virginia is undefeated this season, currently holding a 13-0 overall record. Nebraska has competed against the Mountaineers 41 times since 2001, winning 7 times. Shooters to watch are junior Ginny Thrasher and sophomore Milica Babic.

Scouting Kentucky

Kentucky has a nearly perfect 31-2 record this season, fueled by a first-place finish at the Withrow Invitational and a second-place finish at the Ole Miss open. Nebraska holds an all-time record of 12-32 against the Wildcats dating back to 1999. Freshman Henrik Larsen is the shooter to watch.

Scouting NC State

The Wolfpack currently holds an 8-4 record this season. Nebraska’s all-time record against NC State is 21-1 dating back to 2007. Shooters to watch are graduate student Lauren Phillips and sophomore Kendra Jacobs.

Scouting Navy

Navy holds a 6-10 record this season, most recently defeating John Jay in the Midshipmen’s NCAA Qualifier match. Nebraska holds an all-time record of 16-3 dating back to 2000. Shooters to watch are junior Josh Watson and freshman Torrance Kang.

Series History

The Cornhuskers are looking for their first conference tournament title since they won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. Defending national champion West Virginia has claimed the last eight consecutive conference tournament championships dating back to 2010. Kentucky has the second-most conference tournament titles (five), while NU’s pair ranks third.

Follow the Huskers

Fans can keep up with the action on social media and the live target page.

Facebook: facebook.com/NebraskaRifle

Twitter: @NebraskaRifle

Live Targets: http://results.megalink.no/#/

                -Click on West Virginia’s page