Feb. 13, 2009
Fairbanks, AK - The three-time defending NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Champion Alaska Nanooks welcomes The Citadel Bulldogs to the Patty Center this Saturday and Sunday for a pair of NCAA Qualifying matches at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range.
The NCAA Qualifier rankings headed into the weekend have Alaska slated third overall with 4648.33 points, behind No. 1 West Virginia (4664.00) and Kentucky (4658.33). Head coach Dan Jordan looks at these Universities as the two main challenges standing in the way of Alaska's fourth consecutive championship.
"West Virginia has been shooting real strong; Kentucky started real strong but has tailed off towards the end of the season," Jordan said. "But I think the three of us should bring big scores from qualifying into the championship.
NCAA Qualifier rankings are based on the three top scores of each team, with no more than one taken from a single location. Designated NCAA Qualifier scores shot this weekend are combined with the Qualifier rankings (each weighted as 50% of the total) to determine the top eight teams who will qualify for the 2009 NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Championships next month at Texas Christian University.
"We are looking at this qualifier as a stepping stone towards championships," said head coach Dan Jordan. "We are pretty comfortable sitting in third, so we are not really worried about making championships right now."
Alaska shooters Patrik Sartz, Cody Rutter, and Billy Galligan are tabbed to start in both the air rifle and smallbore disciplines. Jace Bures will round out the Nanooks smallbore squad, while Taylor Beard will join Sartz, Rutter, and Galligan for the air rifle.
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, is 28th in the Qualifier Rankings (2942.00).
Both matches of the weekend begin at 9:00 a.m., with finals being shot at 2:00 p.m. Following Sunday afternoon's competition will be a free Rifle 101 Clinic open to fans of all ages.
