COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Alaska Nanooks rifle team grabbed a fifth place finish at the 2021 NCAA Rifle Championships, their highest since the 2017 Championships. The 'Nooks shot a 2326 on Friday, March 12 in the smallbore discipline and posted a score of 2356 in the air rifle discipline for a final score of 4682.
 
Freshman, Rylan Kissell led the way for the Nanooks, once again, shooting a 595 in relay one of the air rifle. Kissell fired an immediate 100 off the line, opening up his morning, followed by three consecutive 99's, one more 100 and a 98 on his final 10, including 51 X's on his scorecard. 
 
Liam Eberhart ended his Nanook shooting career with a 588, the second best for Alaska on the final day. He fired off a 97 and 98 in his first 20, followed by a 198 including a 100 and ended with 98 and 99 on his scorecard. Daniel Enger followed closely behind shooting a 587. He got off to a slow start, shooting a 96 in his first 10 but he warmed up and fired off a 98, 97, 100 and two more 98's to end his NCAA Championships. 
 
Kellen McAferty posted a 586 air rifle round, posting a 10-shot best of 99 with two 98's and three 97's. Jessica Boyce rounded out the scoring for the Nanooks, posting a 578 made up of three 97's, two 96's and a 95 for 10-shot rounds. 
 
Head coach Will Anti was proud of his team and is looking forward to all that they can take away from this weekend for the future, "The team had a tremendous season and today was really a culmination of that effort. They once again, proved to be a top-five team in the nation. After starting the season ranked outside the top-10, they should be extremely proud of their climb. In air rifle today, we certainly had some highlights, but also had some learning moments. Rylan had another great day. It was an impressive bookend for his freshman campaign. I think the group showed some resiliency and grit with everyone shooting a bit better towards the back half of their matches. Most importantly, I think this match really introduced the team to the environment and the sensations that come with contending for a top spot. We can move forward with the knowledge we gained here as we look to preparing for next year."
 
Kissell, who finished seventh in the smallbore individual finals a day ago on March 12, qualified once again for the individual finals, this time in air rifle. His 595 was good enough to give him the sixth seed heading into the finals. Kissell battled through the finals, eventually posting a final score of 206.4, placing fourth. Alongside his fourth place air rifle individual finish, Kissell posted an impressive 1182 aggregate score over the span of the Championships, giving him a sixth place finish in the overall aggregate field. 
 
Coach Anti remained impressed with Kissell's performances as a freshman on the big stage, "Rylan had another great finals performance. Today's was particularly impressive. He really held his own against a really deep group of competitors. I know the close brush with the podium will fuel him for next year."
 
This officially ends the Alaska Nanooks 2020-21 rifle schedule. The 'Nooks ended the regular season with a 6-3, 2-2 PRC record.
 
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Twitter or Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.