Murray State
Nebraska
Players Mentioned
Racers Strong In Qualifier, In Line For Sixth-Straight NCAA Appearance
2/22/2020 5:15:00 PM | Rifle
For the second consecutive week, the Murray State rifle team fired a season-high aggregate score and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Racers shot a 4685 in the annual qualifier against Nebraska Saturday at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range in Murray and have tentatively qualified for next month's NCAA Rifle Championship.
The Racers began the day with 2321 in smallbore, followed by a season-high 2364 in air rifle. Murray State's 4685 aggregate score was six shots better than last week's score at Ole Miss and 28 shots better than its average prior to Saturday.
Matias Kiuru shot a 586 smallbore and a 593 air rifle to finish the day with an 1179 aggregate and lead Murray State in all three categories. Dana Buesseler was solid on both guns Saturday as she posted a 581 smallbore and a 585 air rifle, while Emily Fitzgerald posted a season-high aggregate at 1164 after a 576 and a 588. Scheer followed Kiuru in air rifle in the match at 592, while seniors Shelby Huber and Meike Drewell shot a 591.
Murray State entered the day ninth nationally and leapfrogged both Air Force and Ole Miss to currently sit in sixth, well inside the eight team cutoff for the NCAA Championships. The only team able to catch the Racers is Memphis, which shoots Sunday, but regardless of the Tigers' score Murray State can enter the championships no worse than seventh.
The Racers will receive their official invitation to their sixth-consecutive NCAA Championship and 34th overall Tuesday via the live NCAA Selection Show at 2 p.m. on NCAA.com. The 2020 NCAA Rifle Championships will take place March 13-14 at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
