Army West Point Athletics
Army Rifle Splits Decision Against No. 1 Kentucky and No.15 NC State
January 18, 2022 | Rifle
WEST POINT, N.Y. – In a Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) matchup against the No. 1 University of Kentucky and No. 15 North Carolina State, the Army Black Knights split the Tri-Match result with a victory over the Wolfpack.
While the No. 14 ranked Black Knights saw four personal best performances by Matalyn Espenshade (578 – Small Bore; 1158 – Aggregate), Ashton O'Connell (590 – Air Rifle; 575 – Small Bore), Ana Osborne (1140 – Aggregate) and Kristen Coombes (575 – Air Rifle; 1141 – Aggregate) across every category on Monday, it was the squadded team to lift Army above NC State.
"I was pleased with Monday's match. That was the most depth we've put together in quite a while. We had about half the team in the upper 380s and above coming out of slings. That's a good sign that the underclass men and women are starting to catch on and perform", said Army Head Coach Web Wright.
Claudia Sigel (Air Rifle) and Kyle Kutz (Small Bore) led the five-Cadet squad that each shot above a 578 score to seal the win over NC State. Kutz also a shot a 200/200 prone, recording as the fifth time in 2021 to hit a perfect mark.
No. 14 Army vs. No. 15 North Carolina State
Air Rifle:
NCSU: 2355
Army: 2355
Smallbore:
NCSU: 2310
Army: 2325
Aggregate:
NCSU:4665
Army: 4680
Prior to Monday's victory, Army started the Tri-Match slated against the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats that also saw three personal-best performances and a season-high mark for the Black Knights.
Posting as the fifth time in 2021, Sigel shot above a 197 with recording a 200/200 prone. Facing a Wildcat squad that features two medaled-Olympians from the 2020 Summer Olympics, the Black Knight squad lined up to shot above a 574, with all four recorded scores shooting 582 or above in Air Rifle. Despite Aaron Flowers shooting a 588 Air Rifle to set as a season-high and Briggs Moore's 572 Small Bore and 583 Air Rifle score closing out a six-Cadet standout performance, Army fell 4733 to 4656 on aggregate leading Kentucky the victory.
No. 14 Army vs. No. 1 Kentucky
Air Rifle:
UK: 2390
Army: 2347
Smallbore:
UK: 2343
Army: 2309
Aggregate:
UK:4733
Army: 4656
Following the team's performance over the weekend, Wright feels the Black Knights are heading in the right direction from their first 2022 outing. "We aren't quite where we need to be, but we have some momentum headed into the second semester schedule. I think we are going to be in a good place for when we really need it against Navy and the NCAA qualifier."
Army will next take on the Memphis Tigers on January 22 at the Palmyra Sportsmen's Association in Annville, Pa.
While the No. 14 ranked Black Knights saw four personal best performances by Matalyn Espenshade (578 – Small Bore; 1158 – Aggregate), Ashton O'Connell (590 – Air Rifle; 575 – Small Bore), Ana Osborne (1140 – Aggregate) and Kristen Coombes (575 – Air Rifle; 1141 – Aggregate) across every category on Monday, it was the squadded team to lift Army above NC State.
"I was pleased with Monday's match. That was the most depth we've put together in quite a while. We had about half the team in the upper 380s and above coming out of slings. That's a good sign that the underclass men and women are starting to catch on and perform", said Army Head Coach Web Wright.
Claudia Sigel (Air Rifle) and Kyle Kutz (Small Bore) led the five-Cadet squad that each shot above a 578 score to seal the win over NC State. Kutz also a shot a 200/200 prone, recording as the fifth time in 2021 to hit a perfect mark.
No. 14 Army vs. No. 15 North Carolina State
Air Rifle:
NCSU: 2355
Army: 2355
Smallbore:
NCSU: 2310
Army: 2325
Aggregate:
NCSU:4665
Army: 4680
Prior to Monday's victory, Army started the Tri-Match slated against the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats that also saw three personal-best performances and a season-high mark for the Black Knights.
Posting as the fifth time in 2021, Sigel shot above a 197 with recording a 200/200 prone. Facing a Wildcat squad that features two medaled-Olympians from the 2020 Summer Olympics, the Black Knight squad lined up to shot above a 574, with all four recorded scores shooting 582 or above in Air Rifle. Despite Aaron Flowers shooting a 588 Air Rifle to set as a season-high and Briggs Moore's 572 Small Bore and 583 Air Rifle score closing out a six-Cadet standout performance, Army fell 4733 to 4656 on aggregate leading Kentucky the victory.
No. 14 Army vs. No. 1 Kentucky
Air Rifle:
UK: 2390
Army: 2347
Smallbore:
UK: 2343
Army: 2309
Aggregate:
UK:4733
Army: 4656
Following the team's performance over the weekend, Wright feels the Black Knights are heading in the right direction from their first 2022 outing. "We aren't quite where we need to be, but we have some momentum headed into the second semester schedule. I think we are going to be in a good place for when we really need it against Navy and the NCAA qualifier."
Army will next take on the Memphis Tigers on January 22 at the Palmyra Sportsmen's Association in Annville, Pa.
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