Rifle: WVU Narrowly Falls at Kentucky
November 15, 2008 07:27 PM | General
November 15, 2008
| West Virginia 4639, Kentucky 4649 Barker Hall Lexington, Ky. |
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Match Results |
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| Stat Comparison | ||||||||
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| Air Rifle | 2325 | 2346 | ||||||
| Small Bore | 2314 | 2303 | ||||||
| Aggregate | 4639 | 4649 | ||||||
| Top WVU Shooters | ||||||||
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A consistent smallbore relay combined with an off-par air rifle relay spelled doom for the West Virginia University rifle team, as the Mountaineers fell 10 points short and lost at Kentucky, 4649-4639, this evening.
The defeat is the Mountaineers’ (5-1 overall, 2-1 GARC) first of the season. The squad had strung together five straight victories before falling to the Wildcats.
WVU defeated UK in smallbore, 2314-2303, but fell in air rifle, 2346-2325. The air rifle loss is the squad’s first defeat in either discipline this season.
Tonight’s loss is WVU’s fifth straight to UK. The Mountaineers hold a 13-6 series edge over the Wildcats.
“It is definitely disappointing to come away from today with a loss, especially when the margin was so close,” says Coach Jon Hammond. “It was just one of those days in air rifle, where everyone seemed to have a bad outing.”
The Mountaineers had a strong showing in smallbore, finishing only five points short of their season-high score of 2319 set on Oct. 19 vs. Ole Miss.
Three of WVU’s All-American sophomores secured the top scores in smallbore. Brandi Eskew and Kyle Smith finished first with 581 points. Eskew’s total included a 198 prone score in which she shot strings of 98 and 100. Tommy Santelli finished third with 580 points. Santelli shot one point better than Eskew in prone (100, 99).
“Our consistent shooting in smallbore today is on par for how we’ve been shooting all year,” Hammond says. “Taking the top three finishes shows our strength.”
Smith highlighted the WVU air rifle scores, as he shot a personal-best 586. The score was the highest of any Mountaineer.
“Today was a tough loss, but we’ll get back out there tomorrow and compete again,” says Hammond. “This loss will be good motivation for next semester.”
The Mountaineers compete again in Lexington tomorrow, Nov. 16, against GARC foe Memphis. The match is set to begin at 8 a.m.
