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Alaska Nanooks NCAA Qualifier Results - Feb. 13-14]
FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanooks rifle team turned in another solid performance on the second day of their NCAA Qualifiers, handily topping the visiting University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers 2,355-2,193 in Sunday's air rifle competition at the Patty Center Gymnasium.
Combined with Saturday's smallbore score, the Nanooks posted a solid aggregate score of 4,677 for their third highest total of the 2009-10 campaign. The Blazers only had one shooter participate in Saturday's small bore match resulting in an aggregate score of 2,690.
Senior
Patrik Sartz (Stora Sundby, Sweden) led the way for the home team on Sunday, putting together a string of 27 consecutive bulls-eyes en route to a match-high 594. The other three starters included senior
Jace Bures (Odell, NE), junior
Cody Rutter (Palmyra, PA) and freshman
Dustin Chesebro (Laramie, WY), who scored identical 587s to round out the scoring team.
Junior
Taylor Beard (Parker, CO) recorded the second-best match score with a 588, while seniors
William Galligan (Eagle River, AK) and
Layne Lewis (Fairbanks, AK) put up scores of 580 and 579, respectively. Alaska's other participants in Sunday's match included junior
Ida Petersen (Fairbanks, AK) (578), freshmen
Scott Franz (Livermore, CO) (575),
Cole Bures (Odell, NE) (573) and
Aaron Holsopple (Pennsylvania) (572), and junior
Charles Whitmer (Fairbanks, AK) (564).
The younger Bures was on track to top Galligan's 580, but accidentally bumped his trigger between shots midway through the second relay, dispelling a round into the Patty Center bleachers behind the targets that resulted in a 0 for that round.
SirLinda Gee was the Blazers top gunner with 579, followed by Suzanne Moore and Autumn Stockwell's 558 and Sarah Hicks 498.
The results of all NCAA Qualifying matches shot over the weekend across the country will be sent in and calculated to determine the team and individual qualifiers for the next NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Championships being held next month in Fort Worth, Texas and hosted by Texas Christian University.
With just one loss on the season to current No. 1 West Virginia, No. 2 Alaska is in prime form to exact a little revenge in three weeks time against the Mountaineers on their quest for the program's 11th NCAA title. Team and individual qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Championships will be announced sometime this week and Alaska's qualifiers will be posted on alaskananooks.com once they are released.
