NCAA Qualifier 2021 vs. UTEP

Men's and Women's Rifle Nathan Kyle Pearsall

Alaska Rifle Posts Third Consecutive 4700 in NCAA Qualifier

Full Results (PDF)
 
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks rifle team sent off seniors Haley Castillo, Liam Eberhart and Morgan Erickson with their third 4700 in a row and fourth of the season, shooting a 4710 in their NCAA Qualifier, defeating the UTEP Miners, 4710-4581. The Nanooks end the regular season with a 6-3, 2-2 PRC record. 
 
Daniel Enger led the way for the Nanooks once again, shooting an aggregate score high of 1182. Eberhart picked up second place with a 1176. He picked up second in front of Rylan Kissell (3rd), and Kellen McAferty (4th), who also shot a 1176. Cassidy Wilson finished in the top-five with a 1161 aggregate. Alaska finished with nine of the top-10 spots in the aggregate scoring as Marina Gonzalez Mazo finished in sixth, Andrew Pham finished in seventh, Jessica Boyce finished in eighth and Haley Castillo finished in 10th. 
 
In the smallbore discipline, Enger picked up the top spot, shooting a 586. Eberhart followed behind again, also posting a 586. McAferty added a 585 and Kissell rounded out the squad totals with a 580. The Nanooks defeated the Miners in the smallbore discipline with a score of 2337-2256.
 
In the air rifle discipline, the 'Nooks ran away in the scoring, defeating UTEP, 2373-2325. They were again led by Enger, as he posted a 596. Kissell picked up the second spot with a 596 of his own. McAferty shot a 591 for a third place finish and Eberhart rounded out the squad scoring with a 590. 
 
The Nanooks will now wait for the NCAA Selection Show and see if the team will participate in the 2021 NCAA Rifle Championships. That is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 23 and a link will be provided via social media. 
 
Coaches Quotes
"Today was a great team performance. NCAA Qualifiers is a difficult match and the team showed today that they are well prepared to handle these high intensity type matches. We also got to celebrate our three seniors today - all of whom have been great leaders and teammates over their collegiate careers. I'm incredibly thankful to have had this group of seniors who embraced me as a new coach this season.  
 
From an individual perspective there were some really solid performances. Kellen, Daniel and Liam all shot great smallbore. Additionally Daniel and Rylan shot phenomenal airgun. We were also really pleased to see Kellen's progress in air this week - he's been really dedicated to his air rifle training and it's paying off. 
 
We now await the results of the NCAA selection show on Tuesday, February 23 to find out if we will qualify to vie for a National Championship."
 
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. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Haley Castillo

Haley Castillo

5' 3"
Junior
So.
Liam Eberhart

Liam Eberhart

6' 4"
Senior
Jr.
Morgan Erickson

Morgan Erickson

5' 7"
Sophomore
Fr.
Kellen McAferty

Kellen McAferty

5' 11"
Sophomore
Fr.
Jessica Boyce

Jessica Boyce

5' 6"
Junior
/
Cassidy Wilson

Cassidy Wilson

5' 0"
Freshman
/
Andrew  Pham

Andrew Pham

5' 8"
Sophomore
/
Daniel  Enger

Daniel Enger

5' 6"
Junior
/
Marina Gonzalez Mazo

Marina Gonzalez Mazo

5' 7"
Freshman
/
Rylan Kissell

Rylan Kissell

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
/

Players Mentioned

Haley Castillo

Haley Castillo

5' 3"
Junior
So.
Liam Eberhart

Liam Eberhart

6' 4"
Senior
Jr.
Morgan Erickson

Morgan Erickson

5' 7"
Sophomore
Fr.
Kellen McAferty

Kellen McAferty

5' 11"
Sophomore
Fr.
Jessica Boyce

Jessica Boyce

5' 6"
Junior
/
Cassidy Wilson

Cassidy Wilson

5' 0"
Freshman
/
Andrew  Pham

Andrew Pham

5' 8"
Sophomore
/
Daniel  Enger

Daniel Enger

5' 6"
Junior
/
Marina Gonzalez Mazo

Marina Gonzalez Mazo

5' 7"
Freshman
/
Rylan Kissell

Rylan Kissell

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
/