Story by Keenan Hall
Staff writer
khall16@murraystate.edu
For the fourth consecutive year, Murray State rifle brought home the OVC crown at Jacksonville State with a 4685 aggregate.
The Racers seized their 14th OVC title this weekend, and sixth under Head Coach Alan Lollar. Senior Barbara Schläpfer shot a match-high 590 in smallbore and 594 in air rifle. Schläpfer finished with an 1184 aggregate for the match.
“Our entire team performed well, and I think we learned some things that could help us in the near future,” Lollar said.
Murray State senior MacKenzie Martin shot a 588 in air rifle, and senior Alathea Sellars followed with a 587. Another senior, Eric Sloan, had a crucial weekend for his squad, shooting a 585 in air rifle. Racer junior Shelby Huber shot a second-best smallbore score of 581.
“While this was a total team effort, I would like to say something about Eric Sloan. No one works harder, and this weekend he came up big in a big match,” Lollar said.
To go along with the championship, several Racers received All-OVC honors for their consistent performance all season. Schläpfer was named the OVC’s smallbore and air rifle Athlete of the Year.
This weekend also marked the fifth-straight year a Murray State athlete was voted the top smallbore shooter and the fourth-straight year a Racer was named the top air rifle shooter.
Huber was also voted first team All-OVC, while Sellars, Martin, and junior Meike Drewell were voted to the second team. Martin was also voted first-team All-OVC in air rifle along with her classmate Schläpfer. Lollar was also named OVC Coach of the Year for the seventh time.
With a week off to rest and train, Murray State will turn its focus towards the NCAA Qualifiers. The Racers will shoot against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17, at Pat Spurgin Rifle Range.