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FORT WORTH -- The No. 5 Alaska Nanooks rifle team captured a victory 4,687-4,633 over No. 13 Nevada on Thursday morning in a tune up meet for this weekend's Patriot Rifle Championship on the campus of Texas Christian University.
The Nooks got a practice run of the range they'll be competing on as they go for their third-straight PRC title, and head coach Dan Jordan was pleased with his team's performance over the Wolfpack, despite some early adjustments to the new range.
"We struggled a bit at the beginning of today, but we will get it cleaned up for this weekend," stated the head man. "We've had a good couple of weeks of practice leading to today. We had a few people post some really good scores, and we were more consistent in the air gun. It's was a long trip down here, so today gave us a chance really to settle in, gain some confidence and get ready for the conference championship."
Senior All-American Tim Sherry, and redshirt sophomore Sagen Maddalena once again put on strong displays on the range for the No. 5-ranked team in the country. Sherry finished first overall with a 1,179, and won the smallbore, but he was followed closely by his teammate, as Maddalena placed second with total score of 1,178 while capturing her fifth-straight air gun title.
"It's nice have two solid shooters like Tim and Sagen," said Jordan. "It's good to have two people like that on your team that are consistent and you can depend on."
The Nooks found separation from the No. 13 Nevada in the smallbore, where Alaska went 1-2-3 in the event to outscore the Wolfpack, 2,324-2,293. Sherry led the way with a 586, while Maddalena followed with a 583 to place second. Redshirt junior Soren Butler rounded out the Top 3 sweep for the Nanooks with his 582. Freshman JT Schnering posted a sixth place finish (573), while sophomore Luke Johnson rounded out the Nooks scoring five with a 571 to earn eighth place.
Alaska continued to show its dominance against Nevada in the air gun, as they captured a 2,363-2,340 edge, and had four shooters place in the top five. Maddalena dialed up her fifth-straight air rifle title thanks to her 595 performance. Sherry placed third with his 593, while Johnson (589) and Butler (586) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Senior Jaimie Barnes placed seventh with a 583.
The Nanooks take the TCU range again this weekend, as they'll compete in the 2016 Patriot Rifle Championships. The two-day event opens with the smallbore on Saturday at 5:30 a.m. AKT and concludes with the air gun at 5 a.m. on Sunday. The No. 5 team in the nation will be on the hunt for its third-straight PRC title.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Rifle on Facebook.
