FT. BENNING, Geo. – Sophomore shooter, and current Nanook student-athlete,
Kellen McAferty competed in the first round of Olympic Smallbore Trials I at Ft. Benning, Georgia on Oct. 3 and 4. McAferty wasn't alone; joining him were some familiar Fairbanks faces and Alaska alumni, Tim Sherry, who shot for Alaska from 2013-2016, and
Sagen Maddalena, a Nanook from 2014-2018.
McAferty finished day one of trials at ninth place. He shot an aggregate score of 1159 and after day two, and the rest of the field shot, Kellen found himself finishing 11th overall, and third best out of collegiate shooters at the event. The next smallbore event is not until Mar. 29-31, 2020 when competitors will return to Ft. Benning with hopes of being selected to the Olympic Rifle Team.
Sagen Maddalena, 2018 Alaska graduate, finished fourth in the women's category. Maddalena, who originates from California, shot a total of 2337 in the 50m three-position match. During her time in Fairbanks, Maddalena was an 11-time All-American. She currently shoots for the Army Marksmanship Unit.
Tim Sherry, our other Alaska alumni, finished first overall for the men in part one of the Olympic Trials. Sherry was a 9-time All-American and the 2014 NCAA Individual Smallbore Champion. He too shoots for the Army Marksmanship Unit.
Head coach,
Layne Lewis had this to say about his current and former athlete's performances at the first round of Trials, "It was fun to see all of our Nanooks shoot well at the trials. They all have been working so hard to reach their goals. It was great to catch up with them and see them perform so well at this higher level."
The Olympic Team won't be selected until mid-2020, however there are more events for rifle coming up. Air Rifle Olympic Trials I will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Dec, 6-8 and the second portion of Air Rifle Trials will be held Feb. 7-9, again in Colorado Springs. Smallbore Olympic Trials II will be held Mar. 29-31, 2020 at Ft. Benning. The final selection match of 2020 will be the Junior World Championship Trials and Olympic Shooting Championships. The dates for the Championships are not set, however, the competition itself will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.
