In a thrilling matchup at the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center in West Point, N.Y., the Kentucky rifle team emerged victorious over Nebraska with a final score of 4723-4696. Despite a slow start in the smallbore competition, the Wildcats managed to secure a comfortable lead with a stellar performance in air rifle.
After shooting 2338 in smallbore, Kentucky only held a six-point advantage over the No. 7-ranked Cornhuskers going into the air rifle round. However, the Wildcats stepped up their game when it mattered most, delivering a dazzling display with a score of 2385, the second-best mark of the season in that discipline.
Although they encountered some difficulties in smallbore, Coach Harry Mullins expressed his satisfaction with their recovery in air rifle. He said, “We made more fundamental mistakes in smallbore, definitely didn’t get the results we wanted based on how we’ve worked. But, we were able to recover and I was super impressed with air rifle. We were focused, but loose enough to shoot good scores.”
Leading the way in air rifle for Kentucky was Allison Buesseler, who narrowly missed out on her career best with a score of 598. Emmie Sellers trailed closely behind with a commendable mark of 597. Sofia Ceccarello also contributed with a solid score of 595, while Martin Voss matched his career-high of 595 for the second consecutive day.
Ceccarello received top honors in the smallbore competition with a score of 589, as well as in the individual aggregate with a combined score of 1184.
With this victory, the No. 3-ranked Wildcats improved their season record to 8-1, completing a successful weekend sweep after defeating host Army the previous day.
Kentucky’s strong showing in this matchup sets the stage for their upcoming competition on Sunday, January 21, as they travel to Murray State for the Withrow Invitational. The Wildcats will aim to build on their recent success and continue their impressive form in the remainder of the season.
