Murray State University Athletics
Friday, March 13
Fairbanks, Alaska
11 a.m.
Murray State
vs
Smallbore
Players Mentioned
Rifle Takes Aims At Third NCAA Title This Weekend
3/12/2015 1:02:00 PM | Rifle
The Murray State rifle team will begin its quest for a third NCAA national championship on Friday when it opens competition at the 2015 NCAA Rifle National Championship in Fairbanks, Alaska. The smallbore portion of the event will take place on Friday, followed by air rifle and the declaration of a champion Saturday.
This year's appearance marks MSU first appearance at the event since 2010, putting an end of the longest drought in school history. Murray State is now tied with Alaska-Fairbanks for the second most appearances in NCAA history with 29 and both trail leader West Virginia with 32.
The Racers have claimed the national championship on two difference occasions, in 1985 and 1987, and finished as runners-up in 1986 and 1988. Outside of that four-year span, the best finish for Murray State as a team has been in 1992 and in 2003 when it finished third.
While the ultimate prize is the team championship, there are individual national titles on the line as well, with the Racers having seven stored in their trophy case. Pat Spurgin is the only Racer to win both the smallbore and the air rifle titles, capturing the former in 1984 and the latter in 1985. Since then, no other MSU shooter has ever won the smallbore title, but five have won the air rifle crown, with the last being Morgan Hicks in 2004.
Joining MSU at this year's event will be defending champion West Virginia, host Alaska-Fairbanks, fellow OVC member Jacksonville State, Air Force, TCU, Kentucky and Nebraska. Despite the fact that the Racers enter the event as the lowest ranked team in the latest CRCA rankings, at eighth, MSU's chances of winning are as good as any, as its current season-high of 4687 would have been good enough to claim the title in three of the last five events.
This weekend also marks the third trip to the championship for senior Kelsey Emme, who went as an individual in 2012 and 2014, but has never gone with her team. Emme, an All-OVC selection in both events this year, Â enters the her final collegiate competition with averages of 577.3 in smallbore and 586.5 in air rifle for an aggregate of 1163.8.
In smallbore, MSU will be led by OVC Smallbore Athlete of the Year Ben Estes who is currently averaging 580.8 in the event and has shot a career-high of 583 seven times this season. In air rifle, OVC Freshman of the Year Ivan Roe leads the way at 589.5 and has turned in six 590-plus performances this season. In all, Estes has an aggregate average of 1165.1, while Roe leads all Racers at 1166.1
Joining their teammates in Alaska, will be Tessa Howald, who was All-OVC in air rifle this season, and Hannah Harris. Howald is currently averaging 1163.5, while Harris checks in at 1147.4.
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This year's appearance marks MSU first appearance at the event since 2010, putting an end of the longest drought in school history. Murray State is now tied with Alaska-Fairbanks for the second most appearances in NCAA history with 29 and both trail leader West Virginia with 32.
The Racers have claimed the national championship on two difference occasions, in 1985 and 1987, and finished as runners-up in 1986 and 1988. Outside of that four-year span, the best finish for Murray State as a team has been in 1992 and in 2003 when it finished third.
While the ultimate prize is the team championship, there are individual national titles on the line as well, with the Racers having seven stored in their trophy case. Pat Spurgin is the only Racer to win both the smallbore and the air rifle titles, capturing the former in 1984 and the latter in 1985. Since then, no other MSU shooter has ever won the smallbore title, but five have won the air rifle crown, with the last being Morgan Hicks in 2004.
Joining MSU at this year's event will be defending champion West Virginia, host Alaska-Fairbanks, fellow OVC member Jacksonville State, Air Force, TCU, Kentucky and Nebraska. Despite the fact that the Racers enter the event as the lowest ranked team in the latest CRCA rankings, at eighth, MSU's chances of winning are as good as any, as its current season-high of 4687 would have been good enough to claim the title in three of the last five events.
This weekend also marks the third trip to the championship for senior Kelsey Emme, who went as an individual in 2012 and 2014, but has never gone with her team. Emme, an All-OVC selection in both events this year, Â enters the her final collegiate competition with averages of 577.3 in smallbore and 586.5 in air rifle for an aggregate of 1163.8.
In smallbore, MSU will be led by OVC Smallbore Athlete of the Year Ben Estes who is currently averaging 580.8 in the event and has shot a career-high of 583 seven times this season. In air rifle, OVC Freshman of the Year Ivan Roe leads the way at 589.5 and has turned in six 590-plus performances this season. In all, Estes has an aggregate average of 1165.1, while Roe leads all Racers at 1166.1
Joining their teammates in Alaska, will be Tessa Howald, who was All-OVC in air rifle this season, and Hannah Harris. Howald is currently averaging 1163.5, while Harris checks in at 1147.4.
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