FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks rifle team has officially opted-out of the upcoming Patriot Rifle Conference Championships in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State. 

With this choice, the Nanooks will next compete on Feb. 20 at their NCAA Qualifier. They will host the event at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range in the Patty Center on the UAF campus. No fans will be permitted to the NCAA Qualifier on the Alaska campus.
 
Upcoming Schedule 
Current Schedule
 
2/22/2021       NCAA Qualifiers (UTEP)          Fairbanks, Alaska
3/10/2021       NCAA Championships             Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State)*
3/11/2021       NCAA Championships             Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State)*
*NCAA Selection Show TBD
 
Head coach Will Anti stands behind his teams choice to not participate in the 2021 PRC Championships, "After careful consideration, we have decided not to attend the Patriot Rifle Conference Championship. While the conference championship is a valuable match our team is committed to qualifying and competing at the National Championship. Had we shot the conference championship we would lose a week of training upon return following the state's COVID-19 guidelines requiring a minimum 5 day quarantine.  We would also risk the increased exposure of the entire team during travel to Ohio State. As a group we decided we gain more from staying home and continuing to work toward the National Championship. It was not an easy decision, but the team has responded really well and have remained adaptable and forward thinking. At the end of the day we have to think of the bigger picture and our teams overall goals for the season which is really the root of this decision. 
 
I appreciate Ohio State University making every effort to safely host this championship in person. Thanks also to our department for supporting myself and the team in this decision. We look forward to using this extra time to our advantage and getting back to action on February 20 against the University of Texas El Paso."
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Twitter and Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.