FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks are welcoming 14 new All-American honors following the 2021-22 NCAA Rifle season.
"These honors are another great reminder of the success the team enjoyed this entire season," stated head coach Will Anti, "It is certainly more All-American honors than I can ever recall five athletes receiving in rifle in a single-season. Certainly having half of the First Team All-Americans in smallbore in the entire country coming from the Nanooks is incredible."
Alongside the 14 All-American honors earned, the Nanooks had three individuals earn end of the year awards as freshmen duo Rylan Kissell and Sára Karasová took home the CRCA Rifle Athlete of the Year and CRCA Rookie of the Year, respectively. Anti was also named the CRCA Head Coach of the Year in only his second season with the Nanooks.
Kissell was the first Nanook on the 2021-22 Aggregate All-American Team, earning a First-Team nod following an average aggregate score of 1188 this season. "Rylan being named first team in all three categories is sensational - we've said it all year, he's one of the best and he is never satisfied and that's how we like it!" On the year, Kissell shot over his average seven times, shooting over 1190 six times including a career-high 1194 on Oct. 31, 2021 at the Citadel. Alongside his Aggregate All-American honor, Kissell was named a First Team All-American in smallbore and air rifle. In smallbore, Kissell shot an average of 591.429, the best average in the NCAA this season. His season-high score of 596 came on Oct. 16, 2021 and Oct. 31, 2021.
At the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championships, Kissell earned a third-place bronze finish in the individual smallbore competition after shooting a 591, good enough for a top-eight finish and finals berth.
In air, the freshman was sixth in NCAA Rifle with a season-average of 596.571. He shot a pair of perfect 600's in air, becoming the first shooter since 2011 to shoot more than one 600 in a single-season. The first came on Jan. 22 against the Air Force Academy in Fairbanks and his second came at the PRC Championships, helping the Nanooks claim their third conference title in historic fashion. Using his 600, the Nanooks ended the championships with an NCAA-best 4752 aggregate score, tying the national record set twice earlier in the season.
Karasová was the next Nanooks' shooter on the All-American Team, earning a Second Team Aggregate All-American nod. She was one of three Alaska freshmen to be named an All-American. On the season, Karasová was consistently near the top. She shot an aggregate average of 1182.929 in her first season in Fairbanks. Karasová shot a career-high aggregate of 1188 on Jan. 23, 2022 against the Air Force Academy, using a 591 in smallbore and 597 in air to help the Nanooks defeat the Falcons 4747-4707. She outshot her aggregate average nine times on the year, including a nine-match streak with an 1182+ spanning from Oct. 31, 2021 at the Citadel through Feb. 19, 2022 against UTEP in their 2021-22 NCAA Qualifier.
She was also named a First-Team selection in smallbore and a Second-Team selection in air rifle. In smallbore, the freshman from Senov, Czech Republic shot an average of 589, the fifth-best score in NCAA Rifle. She shot a career-high 596 on Nov. 14, 2021 at Navy. With that score, the Nanooks posted a then national record score of 4749, defeating the Midshipmen, 4749-4694. Her career-high air rifle score came on Jan. 23 against Air Force. She shot a 597, using that to secure her career-high aggregate score. "Sara and Gavin both received All-American status in their freshmen campaigns in all three categories - that's just flat out impressive." Exclaimed Anti about his second and third top-freshmen.
Gavin Barnick was the third Nanook on the aggregate All-American Team, earning Second Team honors. The freshman from Mora, Minn. proved a big part in the Nanooks' success this season. He shot the 10th-best aggregate average score in the NCAA, posting an average of 1181.358. His aggregate career-high came on Feb. 5 while at the PRC Championships as he posted the second-best score not posted by Rylan Kissell, an 1189. Barnick outshot his average five times, including a four-match streak of 1183+ from Jan. 16 through Feb. 5.
Barnick added a First Team nod in smallbore and Honorable Mention honor in air rifle to complete his freshman season. In smallbore, Barnick was a consistent counter for the Nanooks, shooting an average of 588.429 in year one. This average was the seventh-best in the NCAA. He shot a career-high 593 on Nov. 14, 2021 at Navy; his first career 590+ score and his first of four. He shot five 589's on the season, coming in as the third-best smallbore shooter on the 'Nooks. In air, Barnick showed steady consistency, never shooting under a 590 on the season. As the season continued, so did Barnick's career-high. After posting a 593 on three separate occasions during the first-half of the season, Barnick quickly opened up 2022 with a pair of 594's before posting two 595's and a 597, progressing as the season went on.
The 597 is his current career-high and came on his career-day at the PRC Championships; it was paired with a 592 in smallbore for an 1189 aggregate.
Kellen McAferty was the fourth Nanook shooter on the list, earning the final Second Team All-American honor. The junior from Littlerock, Wash. earned Second Team honors after posting the ninth-best aggregate in the NCAA this past season. His 1181.667 average gave the Nanooks four shooters in the top-10 aggregate averages on the season, making them the only team with more than two.
He shot a career-high 1189 aggregate on Feb. 5-6 at the PRC Championships, posting a 593 in smallbore and a 596 in air rifle. "Kellen finally got the trifecta this season as he achieved All-American status in all three events for the first time. I know he really wanted it in air; he hadn't done it before and honestly hadn't been close. I can't believe how far he has come in airgun. He's turned what was once a weakness into a strength. He's become consistent and dependable and on his best days he's now one of the best in the country as we got to see at Nationals."
In smallbore, McAferty was named a First Team All-American, as he posted an average of 587.667, the eighth-highest in the NCAA this season. He was one of the most consistent smallbore shooters for Alaska in the 2021-22 season, shooting under 585 on only one occasion. He cracked 590 in smallbore on three separate occasions, including a 593 on Feb. 5, his new career-high.
As Anti mentioned earlier, McAferty became one of the best in the country in air rifle, finding his consistent stride heading into his junior season. He earned Second Team All-American honors in air rifle following 2021-22. After opening the season with a 590.33 average through three matches, he shot a career-high 597 at the Citadel on Oct. 30, 2021, starting a trend for the rest of the season. Following a 592 and 593 in his next two matches, he ended the year on six-consecutive 595+ matches, including tying his career-high of 597 at the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championships.
At Championships, McAferty used his 597 to qualify for the individual air rifle finals where he'd battle and take home fifth-place.
The final Nanook earning All-American honors is senior Daniel Enger. Mr. Consistent earned Honorable Mention Aggregate and First Team Smallbore All-American honors. Anti preached Enger's consistency was a key part of the team's success this season, "Daniel, in his senior season, added to his storied career and the families All-American count with his Mom also a former All-American for the Nanooks. Daniel was 'Mr. Consistent' all year in smallbore and poured it on thick in air toward the end of the season when we needed him too."
In smallbore, Enger had the ninth-best average in the NCAA, giving the Nanooks a full-five in the top-10 for smallbore averages and earning them five of the 10 First Team All-American spots in smallbore, an impressive feat. Enger shot an average of 586.643 with a 589 as his season-high, tying his career-high on five separate occasions. His biggest 589 came at the NCAA Rifle Championships, a score that qualified him for the individual smallbore finals. He took sixth.
Enger's air rifle performance down the stretch was key in the Nanooks postseason run. He averaged a 591.714 on the season, shooting over 590 in all but three matches. In his final two matches, Enger posted a 595 and a career-high 597, leading the way for the 'Nooks. His 597 at the NCAA Rifle Championships tied him with McAferty and took both to the finals. Alongside McAferty's fifth-place finish, Enger took seventh and ended his final Championships in third-place for overall aggregate scoring, posting a career-high 1186.
Anti already has his eyes set on next season following this season's successes, "Overall we are so proud to have 14 new All American accolades to add to the wall. It's a huge milestone for our program, perhaps the most All Americans ever in a single season for UAF and I think we enter next year poised to try to break that record again."
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.
