AKRON, Ohio -- The No. 2-ranked Alaska Nanooks rifle team returns to action this week after a three-week hiatus, as they'll compete in three matches in four days, starting with a match against No. 14 Akron on Thursday before competing in the Zippy Open in Akron on Saturday. The Nanooks will wrap up with No. 4 Kentucky on Sunday before returning to the Last Frontier.
The Nanooks (2-0) will get plenty of practice at the site of the 2016 NCAA Championship, as they'll take on host-school Akron twice this weekend and spend on day on the newly erected Championship range. Alaska will open the three-match week with the No. 14 Zips on Thursday at 8 a.m. After an off day, the Nanooks will participate in the Zippy Open on Saturday, in what will be the NCAA Championship preview as several of the top teams in the nation will be in attendance. Alaska will be on the line with No. 1 West Virginia, No. 4 Murray State and No. 5 Kentucky during their turn on the range at the Open. Alaska concludes the busy weekend with a head-to-head match with another meet against Kentucky on Sunday in Lexington.
"We've had a little time off, but our athletes have continued to practice and they've been shooting well during the break," said head coach Dan Jordan. "The team is excited about this trip. They're excited to compete in the Zippy Open, which will be set up just like this year's NCAA Championship, so it's going to be a great preview. It's going to be a good experience. I planned on this being a short compact trip with a lot of matches to push their mental endurance, so it's going to be a tough weekend, but it's a part of the plan."
This will be Alaska's first meet since sweeping then No. 9-ranked Ohio State and then No. 3-ranked Air Force back on Oct. 16 and 17 at the E.F. Horton Range. The Nanooks captured a 4,694-4,672 victory over the Buckeyes, as Sagen Maddalena captured the team's top combined score with a 1,178. Maddalena was tops in the air rifle against OSU with a 594 score, while All-American Tim Sherry took first in the smallbore with a 590. The Nanooks came back to defeat then No. 3-ranked Air Force, 4,711-4,684, the next day. Sherry captured the meets top individual score as he combined for a 1,184 thanks to a 597 in the air rifle and a 587 in the smallbore.
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