Racers beat UT Martin in NCAA Qualifier, Kiuru and Henry selected for NCAA Championship

Simon Elfrink

Sports Editor

selfrink@murraystate.edu

Murray State competed at the annual NCAA Qualifier on Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range in Murray, Kentucky. 

The Racers outshot UT Martin 4670-4559. The team as a whole did not qualify for the NCAA championship, but the Racers did finish the season on a high note. The top six finishers in the qualifying match were all Racers. 

Sophomore Matias Kiuru led the event with an aggregate score of 1182, shooting a 586 in smallbore and a 596 in air rifle. Freshman Allison Henry placed second overall with a 584 in both smallbore and air rifle for an 1168 aggregate score. Henry and Kiuru will both get the opportunity to represent the University as individuals in the NCAA Championship. 

“They’ve done a great job all year,” said Head Coach Alan Lollar. “They deserve a chance to compete for it. We’re real proud of them. They did a good job on qualifier day and we’re very happy for them.”

Freshman Kylie Delaney finished third in the qualifier with an aggregate score of 1166, shooting a 575 in smallbore and 591 in air rifle. Freshman Scott Patterson was the fourth-place finisher in the event with a 1161 aggregate score. He shot a 577 in smallbore and 581 in air rifle. 

Despite the team missing the opportunity to move on and compete in the NCAA Championship, Lollar said he was pleased with the improvement his team showed this season.

“I think we got better during the year,” Lollar said. “It was a year that a lot of teams shot really good scores and we just came up a little short.”

Kiuru and Henry will spend the coming weeks preparing to compete in the NCAA Championship on March 12 for smallbore and March 13 for air rifle.

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