Huskers to Travel to NCAA Qualifiers

Lincoln, Neb.- TheNebraska rifle team is preparing to head to Murray, Ky. for the 2022 NCAA Qualifiers on Saturday, Feb. 19.

The Huskersare ranked No. 11 in the most recent College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) ranking. They will begin shooting at 9 a.m. in their effort for a third straight NCAA bid. 

"Asa team, we are going into this weekend just like any other match. The team's mindset is focused on giving their best effort towards this match to continue our season," Head Coach Mindy Miles said.

Eightteams will qualify for the NCAA tournament, along with up to five individuals, not on qualifying teams, in both smallbore and air rifle.

Saturday'sscore will be 50% of the total score to determine which teams qualify for the NCAA Championships. That score will combine with the three-score average, which is the average of the team's three highest scores from the season. The Huskers' three highest scores of the season have come against UTEP (4,695), Air Force (4,691) and VMI (4,689). Those scores create an average score of 4,691.6.

NUwill have its full roster for the first time since its match against Air Force on Nov. 21. Kinga Aletto missed the match against Akron, and Madelynn Erickson missed the PRC Championships and the most recent match against Air Force.

"The team is back at full strength after some run-ins with COVID," Assistant Coach JT Schnering said. "Practice has been very productive and we are looking forward to fulfilling theathletes' personal goals for the season."

Fiveout of the seven shooters for the Huskers have been to the NCAA Championships before and are used to shooting in pressured situations. The team will rely on that experience on Saturday. 

Inthe Huskers' recent loss to No. 7 Air Force, sophomore captain Cecelia Ossi posted an aggregate score of 1,185, her best of the season. She has placed in the top-ten in every match this season. She averages 586.18 in smallbore and a 590.64 air rifle score, as she leads the team in both events. Ossi has competed in all 11 matches for the team and averages a 1,176.81 aggregate score.

"Aswe head into this weekend, there is a lot of pressure on all of us to perform, and as such, the atmosphere in the range has been very focused," Ossi said. "Our goal is to qualify for NCAAs as a team and we know we all need to bring our A-game for that to happen. I personally see everyone giving 110% and I am proud of the work the team has put in regardless of the outcome this weekend."

SophomoreMadelynn Erickson is second on the team with both her air rifle and smallbore average scores. She averages a 583.88 in the smallbore and a 589.67 in the air rifle and has competed in nine matches this season. She averages a 1,173.2 aggregate score.

Fifth-year Emily Cheramie is third on the team with her average scores in both events. She averages 583.55 in the smallbore and 588.6 in the air rifle. She has competed in all of the smallbore events this season, but only five air rifle events due to an injury early in the season. In the matches where she has competed in both the smallbore and air rifle, she has averaged a 1,170.2 aggregate.

SeniorElena Flake averages 588.3 in the air rifle, just behind Ossi, Erickson and Cheramie. She averages a 574.6 in the smallbore and a 1,161 aggregate and has competed in all 11 matches.

TheNCAA Championships will take place on March 11-12 in Raleigh, N.C.