FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The No. 5th-ranked Alaska Nanooks men's and women's rifle team officially kicks-off the 2017-18 season by hosting the No. 6th-ranked Air Force Falcons and the No. 7th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in three separate matches this weekend.
| Opponents |
#6 Air Force Academy | #7 Ohio State University |
| Schedule & Locations |
Friday, Oct. 13 vs. OSU & AF at Tanana Valley Sportsman's Association
Relay (SB/AR) 1: 8:45am | Relay 2 (SB/AR): 11:30am | Relay 3 (SB/AR): 2:15pm
Saturday, Oct. 14 vs. Ohio State at E.F. Horton Rifle Range (Patty Center)
Relay 1 (SB/AR): 8:45am | Relay 2 (SB/AR): 11:30am | Relay 3 (SB/AR): 2:15pm
Sunday, Oct. 15 vs. Air Force at E.F. Horton Rifle Range (Patty Center)
Relay 1: SB at 7:45am/AR at 10:45am | Relay 2: SB at 1:15pm/AR at 4:15pm
*All Times are Alaska Daylight Time |
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Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks rifle team returns for the 2017-18 season looking to bounce back after a disappointing showing at the 2017 NCAA Rifle Championships in Columbus, Ohio last March. The Nanooks finished fifth in the team category at the championships, posting an aggregate team score of 4676. Former senior
Soren Butler was the highest-ranking Nanook individually, as he placed eighth overall with a team-high aggregate total of 1174.
Lewis Returns
Alaska Nanooks Director of Athletics
Dr. Gary Gray announced in August that
Layne Lewis was officially hired on as the Nanooks head coach for the 2017-18 season. Lewis served as the team's interim head coach for the entire 2016-17 season and is also a Nanook rifle alumni.
Alaska Ranked
According to the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association release, the Alaska Nanooks were selected fifth in the CRCA Rankings on Tuesday. Alaska's weekend competition were also featured on the weekly rankings, as Air Force was slated for sixth while Ohio State was ranked seventh. Reigning National Champion West Virginia was placed first.
Captains Announced
On Tuesday, the Alaska Nanooks named redshirt-senior
Sagen Maddalena and junior
Nathan Taylor the 2017-18 team's co-captains. It marks the first time Taylor has been selected for the leadership role, while Maddalena reprises her role as co-captain from both the 2016-17 and 2015-16 seasons.
The Kids Are Back
Eight of the 11 shooters on this year's roster are returners from the 2016-17 season, including four of the five student-athletes who participated in the NCAA Rifle Championships last March. The Nooks welcome back sophomores
Liam Eberhart,
Amy Gentry and
Grace Nelson, juniors
JT Schnering and
Nathan Taylor, redshirt-junior
Robert Scott, senior
Luke Johnson and redshirt-senior
Sagen Maddalena.
New Faces on the Range
The 2016-17 Nanooks rifle team welcomes three newcomers this season, including
Haley Castillo (Albequrque, N.M.),
Spencer Jacobs (Gresham, Ore.) and
David Wright (Spokane, Wash.).
Weekend Outlook
The Nanooks will be hosting a three-team match on Friday, Oct. 13 at the Tanana Valley Sportsman's Association. The tri-match will feature the Nanooks, the Buckeyes and the Falcons, each competing against one another with a combined team score from their top-five shooters In both smallbore and air rifle. The first relay is scheduled for 8:45am while the second and third relays are slated for 11:30am and 2:15pm, respectively.
Both Saturday and Sunday's matches will be head-to-head battles for the Nanooks and will take place at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range, Alaska's home range.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanoksRifle on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.
