FAIRBANKS - Rifle season is officially here! The Alaska Nanooks rifle team begins its 2024-25 season this weekend at home with two matches against Ohio State.

Friday, Oct. 11
vs. Ohio State | Live Targets
TVSA - 9 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 12
vs. Ohio State | Watch | Live Targets
E.F. Horton Rifle Range - 8 a.m.

Last Time Out
The Nanooks are coming off a season that saw them finish third in the NCAA Rifle Championships. After finishing day one in fourth place with a 2337 in smallbore, the Nanooks used a strong air rifle outing to take third and win bronze. This marked the 'Nooks third-straight podium appearance for overall finish. 

Elli Spencer fired the second-ever 600 at the NCAA Rifle Championships last season, joining former Nanook Rylan Kissell as the only rifle athlete to pull off the feat. She also became the fourth-ever Nanook to fire a perfect 600. The 600 performance earned Spencer an appearance in the individual air rifle finals, where she would place fifth with 186.8 points. On the weekend, Spencer finished with an aggregate score of 1179. Sára Karasová followed Spencer for the Nanooks, firing a score of 596. She finished second in the individual aggregate scoring, posting an 1189 and trailing only Mary Tucker of WVU (1193). She was the only Nanook to finish in the top 10 for individual aggregate finishes. Rachael Charles was the third scorer for the Nanooks during last season's championships, as she posted a score of 594, giving her an aggregate score of 1173.

Preseason Poll
Alaska took the top spot in the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) preseason rankings, beating out Kentucky and West Virginia, who tied for second. Last year's national champion, TCU, sits in fourth, while Georgia Southern rounds out the top five. This week's opponent, Ohio State, came in just outside the top 10 in the 11 spot.

Returning Talent
The Nanooks are bringing back five from last season's team. Junior Lars Tobias Bernhoft-Osa, junior Rachael Charles, senior Sára Karasová, sophomore Elli Spencer and sophomore Matthew Stout all return for the Nanooks.

Newcomers
Alaska brings in four new shooters this season. Starting off the list is freshman Lucie Kissenberger. Kissenberger, who hails from Neuves-Maisons, France, joins the Nanooks after attending Université de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France. Also joining the Nanooks is freshman Teagan Perkowski. Perkowski, a Bolivar, Ohio native, attended Tuscarawas Valley High School in Zoarville, Ohio, where he placed first in the state Air Rifle and Smallbore championships in 2022 and 2023. The final freshman on this team is Amanda Pettersen, who comes to Fairbanks from Vesteroy, Norway. Pettersen attended Norges Toppidrettsgymnas while competing with the Norwegian national rifle team since 2023.

Alaska's final newcomer is graduate transfer Cecelia Ossi. Ossi joins the Nanooks after four years at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. While shooting with the Cornhuskers, she was a four-time All-American and the NCAA Smallbore champion in 2023. During her time at Nebraska, Ossi set the school record in smallbore with a 597.

All-Americans
The Nanooks had three members of their team honored as CRCA All-Americans last season. Charles earned CRCA First Team honors in all categories: aggregate, air rifle and smallbore. Last season, Charles fired an aggregate average of 1184.25, good for the top spot on the team and sixth in the nation.

Karasová earned a CRCA Aggregate Third Team All-American spot alongside Smallbore Second Team and Air Rifle Second Team honors. She fired the 11th-best aggregate average in the country during the 2023-24 season. On average, she shot an 1182.25 with averages in smallbore of 587.417 and air rifle at 594.833.

The final Nanooks athlete to earn a CRCA All-American nod was Spencer. She earned a CRCA Air Rifle Honorable Mention honor after her strong freshman season and great showing at the NCAA Championships. On the season, Spencer fired an average score of 1175.417.

ISSF Jr. World Championships
Spencer competed at the ISSF Jr. World Championships in Lima, Peru, from September 26 to October 7. She competed in the 10m Air Rifle Women's Junior, 50m 3P Women's Junior, and 50m Prone Women's Junior events, finishing 26th in the 10m Air Rifle qualifications with a 625.5. Spencer would finish 28th in the 50m 3P Women's Junior qualifications, scoring a 580. In the 50m Air Rifle Prone Women's Junior individuals, she scored a 610.2, putting her in 38th place.

Hilinski's Hope
This week, the Nanooks are proud to participate in Student-Athlete Mental Health Week alongside @HilinskisHope. This week is a call to action to raise mental health awareness, destigmatize help-seeking, and provide quality resources to our student-athletes because #MentalHealthMatters. The Hilinski's Hope Foundation was founded in 2018 by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the life of their son Tyler, who died by suicide yet never showed any signs of depression or struggle. Hilinski's Hope helps colleges and universities change and save lives, eliminate stigma, and scale mental wellness programs for student-athletes by sharing Tyler's story, connecting students with mental health resources, and assisting universities to institutionalize best practices.

Coffee and Donuts
Join the Nanooks rifle team at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range on Saturday morning. Fans can enjoy coffee and donuts while watching the Nanooks and Buckeyes. Come grab some breakfast, enjoy the Nanooks rifle match and then head upstairs to the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium to catch the Nanooks volleyball team in action at 2 p.m.! 

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