Murray State University Athletics
Racers qualify for NCAA Champs for the 27th time in 28 years
2/22/2006 6:00:00 AM | Rifle
The Championships selections were announced today by the NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Committee. The top seven teams in both smallbore and air rifle events were selected based on the average of the three highest regular-season aggregate scores (smallbore and air rifle scores combined), with no more than one match at any given site.
The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores from the designated qualifying matches to determine the top seven teams. The eighth team in each discipline was determined using the same method in each event.
Murray State was one of seven teams to qualify for the Championships in both smallbore and air rifle. Other teams qualifying in both disciplines include Alaska-Fairbanks, Army, Kentucky, Mississippi, Navy and Nebraska. Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State qualified in smallbore only, while Nevada qualified in air rifle only.
Individual qualifiers included Jaymi Collar and Heather Tillson of OVC member Tennessee-Martin and Samantha Leach of Mississippi in air rifle and Matthew Hamilton of Army, Rachel Glenn of Texas-El Paso and Celeste Green of Texas Christian in smallbore.
Individual and team competitions in smallbore will be held on March 10 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., while competitions in air rifle will be held on March 11. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team totals into one aggregate score.
Last season, Army broke Alaska-Fairbanks' six-time win streak at the Championships, taking home its first NCAA title in any sport in more than 50 years.
Murray State has won NCAA titles in rifle in 1985 and 1987, and won the first-ever intercollegiate competition -- sponsored by the National Rifle Association -- in 1978. The NCAA began sponsoring the collegiate championships in 1980. MSU has been to every NCAA Rifle Championships except for last year, when the Racers did not qualify. Rifle has been a varsity sport at Murray State since the 1956-57 school year, and is marking its 50th season at MSU.
