FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks rifle team won the 2025 Patriot Rifle Conference Championship on Sunday, Feb. 9, completing a masterclass showing at The X Count in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Alaska used a program record showing in air rifle and an aggregate program record to run away with the title. 

How it Happened
On day one, the seven-team conference of Alaska, Air Force, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, TCU, and UTEP competed in the smallbore discipline. The Nanooks sat in first after day one, firing a 2367 behind a counting squad of Rachael Charles, Sára Karasová, Lucie Kissenberger, Cecelia Ossi, and Amanda Pettersen. Karasová led the way for the five counters, shooting a 594-42x. Charles followed with a 594-40x of her own. Ossi was the third-best smallbore score for the Nanooks, posting a 592-40x. Finally, Kissenberger shot a 587-34x while Pettersen shot a 587-31x. Karasová finished second in the individual smallbore standings and was one of three Nanooks to qualify for the Saturday finals. Charles followed in third, and Ossi took fourth. Both Charles and Ossi joined Karasová in the finals. Lucie Kissenberger took 10th, Amanda Pettersen followed in 12th. 

Additionally, Teagan Perkowski fired a 584-30x, finishing in 20th place. Elli Spencer followed close behind, taking 24th, and firing a 581-33x. Matthew Stout and Tobias Bernhoft-Osa were the final two Nanooks in the standings with Stout firing a 579-19x for 32nd, and Bernhoft-Osa fired a 575-27x for 39th. 

In the smallbore finals, Ossi led the way, firing a 464.2, placing second place and taking home silver. Charles battled in the finals and took fifth with a finals score of 427.9. Karasová was the final representative in the day one finals for Alaska and claimed seventh with a finals score of 407.1. 

Day One Standings (Smallbore)

1. Alaska - 2367
2. Ole Miss - 2364
3. TCU - 2345
4. Air Force - 2337
5. Nebraska - 2330
6. Ohio State - 2328
7. UTEP - 2307

On day two, the conference competed in the air rifle discipline. For day two, the Nanooks sent out a counting squad of Rachael Charles, Sára Karasová, Lucie Kissenberger, Cecelia Ossi, and Elli Spencer. Spencer led the way for the Nanooks, posting an impressive 599-58x. She was followed by Karasová, who shot a 598-51x, and outshot her teammate Cecelia Ossi by one 'X'. Ossi was next for the Nanooks, matching Karasovà's score with a 598-50x. Finally, Kissenberger and Charles both shot a score of 596, with Kissenberger shooting a 596-52x, and Charles firing a 596-48x.

The rest of the team fired strong scores in air rifle as Amanda Pettersen fired a 598-54 and took fourth in the individual air rifle standings. Teagan Perkowski followed with a 594-49x, good for 18th. Tobias Bernhoft-Osa trailed Perkowski by just four spots, taking 22nd with a 593-46x. Finally, Matthew Stout fired a 585-39x and took 42nd. Karasová, Ossi, Pettersen, and Spencer all qualified for the air rifle final with their impressive shooting.

In the air rifle final, Ossi posted another podium finish, taking second with a finals score of 251.9. Spencer followed, finishing the finals with a score of 208.6, good for fourth. Karasová was right behind Spencer in fifth with a finals score of 187.8, and Pettersen took seventh with a finals score of 144.6.

Day Two Standings (Air Rifle)

1. Alaska - 2391
2. TCU - 2387
3. Ole Miss - 2382
4. Air Force - 2369
5. Nebraska - 2369
6. Ohio State - 2366
7. UTEP - 2363

The Nanooks' 2391 set a new program record in air rifle, and propelled them to victory as they finished the weekend with an aggregate score of 4758, also a new program record. This is the third time this season the Nanooks have tied or set a new aggregate record. 

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Final Standings

1. Alaska SB: 2367 AR: 2391 Agg: 4758-363x
2. Ole Miss SB: 2364 AR: 2382 Agg: 4746-353x
3. TCU SB: 2345 AR: 2387 Agg: 4732-335x
4. Air Force SB: 2337 AR: 2369 Agg: 4706-302x
5. Nebraska SB: 2330 AR: 2369 Agg: 4699-258x
6. Ohio State SB: 2328 AR: 2366 Agg: 4694-304x
7. UTEP SB: 2307 AR: 2363 Agg: 4670-265x

Coaches Thoughts
"This was a great match. Our best so far, both in outcome and performance. I'm really proud of the progress that they are making week to week. I think we know there are a few more points out there, and we're feeling quite determined to find them now. Our senior crew shot great. They are still improving, which is great to see with such experienced athletes. All three of them battled hard in both guns. It wasn't effortless, but they scrapped out some great performances. Elijah [Spencer] had another stellar day in air - her consistency is unmatched. Amanda [Pettersen] was another bright spot in air, shooting a brilliant 598. She's been overcoming the nerves and expectations of performing on these stages. She really showed this weekend that she can hang with anyone. Now we'll take a couple of days to regroup and get back to work as we prep for the NCAA qualifier."

What's to Come
The Nanooks will be off until Feb. 22 when they travel to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) for their 2025 NCAA qualifier match. 

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