Huskers in Sixth at NCAAs

Cheramie Places Eighth in NCAA Smallbore
The Nebraska rifle team stands in sixth place after the first day of competition, while senior Emily Cheramie placed eighth overall in the smallbore to highlight the Huskers' efforts at the NCAA Rifle Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
 
Nebraska totaled a score of 2,320 in the smallbore event to rank sixth in the eight-team field. Kentucky leads the eight-team field with a score of 2,253, followed by TCU (2,342), Ole Miss (2,337), West Virginia (2,332) and Alaska Fairbanks (3,226).
 
"This was a good start to NCAAs for us," said rifle coach Rachel Martin. "Emily provided a world class score and made the top 8, which is an incredible accomplishment."
 
NU enters Saturday air rifle just six points out of fifth, as the Huskers look for their first top-five NCAA finish since 2015.
 
"I think everyone is hungry for success after not being able to compete in an NCAA Championship last year, so there is very little room for mistakes," Martin continued. "In Air Rifle, we are going to have to show up strong in order to put up a good team score. These athletes are perfectly capable of doing so, and I am very proud of the work ethic they all displayed today."
 
Cheramie led the Huskers with a score of 589 to place sixth and advance to the NCAA finals in the event. The score was the second-highest mark of her career and just one point shy of her personal best. In the finals, she placed eighth with a score of 401.8.
 
In addition to Cheramie, Elena Flake finished 25th with a score of 580, while freshman Madelynn Erickson placed 28th with a 579, marking her second-highest score of 2021. Freshman Cecelia Ossi rounded out the Huskers' scoring lineup with a 572, while Kinga Aletto added a 565.
 
The air rifle portion of the NCAAs takes place on Saturday morning beginning at 8:45 a.m. and can be watched on NCAA.com.