#11 Rifle Sets Program Record, but Falls to #2 Kentucky

Saturday, October 17

West Point, N.Y.

9 AM

Army West Point

4709

4682

Kentucky

#11 Rifle Sets Program Record, but Falls to #2 Kentucky

October 17, 2020 | Rifle

RESULTS

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The 11th-ranked Army West Point rifle team set a program record with an aggregate mark of 4682 in its season-opener on Saturday. Despite the program feat, the Black Knights fell to Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) foe No. 2 Kentucky, which shot a score of 4709.

Army shot its portion of the match virtually in the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center, while Kentucky competed at their own range in Lexington, Ky.

"This is a weird situation to be in," said Army head coach Web Wright. "We set a program record, but I was expecting a higher score based on the performances we've seen over the last couple of weeks."

All of Army's scorers in smallbore had marks above 577. The Cadets were led by senior captain Clayton Hanson's tally of 584, which was just two points off his career high. In air rifle, the Black Knights had a trio of scorers over the 590 threshold with Hanson claiming the top mark of 594. Junior Lauren McMahan and senior captain Kaitlyn Kutz were Army's other member in the 590s with respective scores of 593 and 590.

"Our match today was a good place to start for the season," Hanson said. "Everyone seems like they have a lot left in them and we're excited for our next match."

Junior Aaron Flowers led Army's non-scorers with an aggregate tally of 1153. Flowers had a score of 571 in smallbore and 582 in air rifle.

A trio of shooters made their collegiate debuts in Kyle Kutz, Anusha Pakkam and Claudia Sigel. Pakkam and Kutz were both listed as scorers for the match.

"With it being the plebes' first match, I'm really excited for the rest of the season," Pakkam said. "We know we have a great team and are excited to see how we grow as the season continues."

"Overall, I'm pretty happy with the plebes contributions and the performances of our returning athletes," Wright said. "We finally have the depth that we need and that's reflected in the scores."

The match will count towards Army's GARC record, but will not factor in as an NCAA event.

Aggregate: Kentucky 4709, Army 4682

Hanson posted a career high aggregate score of 1178, which was the third highest total of the match. Kentucky's Will Shaner (1190) and Mary Tucker (1186) posted the top two scores.
Lauren McMahan had the next highest aggregate total for the Cadet with a score of 1172.
Christian Conrad notched a new personal best score with a mark of 1143.

Smallbore: Kentucky 2338, Army 2318

Hanson's 584 was the third highest mark in the match, trailing just Shaner (591) and Tucker (589).
McMahan held the next highest total for Army with a 579, which is tied for her second highest career mark.
Kaitlyn Kutz (578) and Pakkam (577) rounded out the scoring for the Cadets.
Conrad matched his career high with a score of 571.
Emily topped her personal best mark by four points with a total of 562.
Spencer Gillis shot a 558 in his smallbore debut.

Air Rifle: Kentucky 2371, Army 2364

Hanson (594) and McMahan (593) had the third and fourth highest marks in air rifle. Hanson's 594 matches a career best mark, which he set in the NCAA qualifying match during his sophomore season.
Kaitlyn Kutz tied with Kentucky's Richard Clark for the sixth highest score with a 590.
Conrad posted a new career best with a mark of 578.

UP NEXT
Army has a pair of virtual matches set for Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. The Cadets will first square off with No. 3 West Virginia and then No. 10 Nebraska. Both matches are set to start at 9 a.m. ET.