Full Results

FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks rifle defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes for a second-straight day in Fairbanks by a final score of 4739-4696. With the win, the Nanooks moved to 2-0, 2-0 PRC to start the 2022-23 season. 

"We had another great day in smallbore." Said head coach Will Anti, "It was a pretty lean crew today with several on the road to Worlds and another recovering from injury. The five we had really had to band together and put forth a really strong group effort."

Five Nanooks rounded out the top-five aggregate scorers with Sára Karasová leading the way for Alaska and the match. She shot an aggregate of 1188, taking the top-spot by three. Peter Fiori followed with a score of 1185, besting Kellen McAferty in the third-spot, who shot an aggregate of 1183. Gavin Barnick shot an aggregate of 1182 and Marina Gonzalez Mazo shot a career-high 1180. 

Karasová led the way in smallbore, posting a top-score of 594. She helped the Nanooks defeat Ohio State in the smallbore discipline, 2367-2344. Peter Fiori continued his strong start in a Nanooks uniform, posting a 592. Kellen McAferty finished in the top-three for smallbore, shooting a 591, and Gavin Barnick rounded out the top-five finishers for Alaska with a fourth-place finish and a 590. Marina Gonzalez Mazo took sixth in the discipline, shooting a 587. "Sára [Karasová] stole the show in smallbore with a stellar 198 15X standing, closing with a 100 for a 594. It was a really impressive performance. Peter [Fiori] backed up yesterday's smallbore with another good one. Following up a personal-record is always difficult. Gavin [Barnick] shot another solid smallbore shooting with matching 590's this weekend and Kellen [McAferty] gutted out a great last string in standing after a shaky start in the first ten. It was great to have four in the 590's which is quite a rare feat."

Marina Gonzalez Mazo stole the show on the day, breaking her aggregate and air rifle totals, which had Anti boasting a bit on the sophomore from Logroño, Spain, "I also want to brag on Marina. She shot a season-high and was just shy of an all time PR in smallbore. She broke her aggregate and air rifle PR. She really stepped up today - I think she sensed the moment and responded. I was really happy for her and deservedly she was very proud and validated in herself and her work."

In air, the Nanooks took the top-five positions again, securing the win with a 2372 in the air rifle discipline. Ohio State posted a team air rifle score of 2352. Karasová shot a high-score of 594 while Fiori followed with a 593. Gonzalez Mazo posted a new personal-record with a 593, taking third and McAferty shot a 592, besting a 592 shot by Barnick, who placed fifth in the air rifle standings. Anti saw some good in the team today, but felt there are still points on the board to be had, "In air we were quite mediocre across the board. Glimmers of brilliance, but certainly work to be done. We are all pretty energized by how many points we could pick up in airgun. It's nice to post matches of this quality and know there are 10 to 20 points sitting out there in airgun for us to go pickup. After this weekend we know what the group is capable of and now we have several weeks to work on the areas we need to before we begin traveling."

The Nanooks will not shoot for nearly a month. Their next competition will come on Nov. 2-3 at the Citadel in Charleston, S.C. before staying on the East Coast on Nov. 5-6 for The Fall Classic, consisting of WVU (hosting), TCU and UK. 

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Instagram or Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.