Story by Keenan Hall
Staff writer
Coming off a 10-2 record in the fall season, Murray State’s rifle team is primed to carry its momentum into the spring.
After a week of training before starting the spring semester, Murray State senior Alathea Sellars is ready to secure her third consecutive OVC title. Sellars spent time with family in a snow-filled New Mexico over the winter break, and is coming back with a focused mindset.
“Right now in the season we are focusing on our goals for the end of the year, and focusing on our execution,” Sellars said. “As one of the four seniors, we are focused on the team and ending our careers at Murray State strong.”
Sellars and her teammates have done just that in the early part of the season. Murray State has outshot its opponents in 10 of the last 12 matches during the fall schedule. The top-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats were the only two schools that scored higher than the Racers in the fall.
For Head Coach Alan Lollar, who has coached Murray State to five OVC Championships during his tenure, sustainability is the goal.
“I was really happy with the fall schedule, I thought some people that needed to step up and get some experience had done that,” Lollar said. “Our team goal is to shoot as close to our potential as we can. That means staying consistent, staying in the moment, shooting in matches how we train and not worrying about anything except what we can control.”
The first step in that mission begins this weekend. The Racers have a one-on-one at Jacksonville State. The last time the Racers shot against the Gamecocks, they finished with a season-high aggregate of 4716 and were voted No. 1 in the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association.
Looking ahead at the Racers’ spring slate, the team will return home the following week for the Withrow Invitational. The showcase will feature several NCAA teams ranked in the Top 30 in the country. The No. 5 Racers will get another shot at the Wildcats, and will shoot-off against the No. 7 University of Memphis.
The University of North Georgia, which is currently ranked at No. 20, will join the event, and so will the No. 22 ranked University of Alabama-Birmingham. The Gamecocks and UT Martin will also compete in the invitational.
After the Withrow Invitational, the Racers have a short turnaround with the OVC Championships, followed by an NCAA Qualifier versus No. 6 University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“We have got OVC and NCAA qualifiers coming up so we just hope to do well in those,” Lollar said. “I appreciate the support from everybody who comes out and watches us at home, and I look forward to seeing everybody sometime in the spring.”
Murray State will face-off against Jacksonville State at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Pat Spurgin Rifle Range.
