Story by Keenan Hall
Staff writer
Murray State rifle finished second in its annual Withrow Invitational last weekend behind the University of Kentucky.
The Racers’ five counters scored 4687 points in total aggregate while the No. 1 ranked Wildcats finished with 4701 points. Murray State outshot the Wildcats by three points in smallbore, but Kentucky clawed in front by outscoring the Racers in air rifle by 17 points.
Senior Mackenzie Martin led the Racers in smallbore with 586 points and placed second in air rifle with 588 points. Martin ended the match in a three-way tie for second in individual points. She was also the first shooter to complete all of her shots.
Murray State senior Alathea Sellars finished in a three-way tie for third in total points. She scored 576 points in smallbore and led the team in air rifle.
Another Racer senior, Barbara Schläpfer, battled through a sore knee throughout the match. Despite the injury, she was still one of the three shooters tied for third in total score. Schläpfer completed the match with a 583 in smallbore and 589 in air rifle.
“Overall it was a really good team effort, but a lot of us struggled,” Schläpfer said. “I am injured and that does have an effect on how I can train. It doesn’t make competing perfect, but I also don’t want to lose.”
Schläpfer said she could have changed some things after reflecting on the match, though she’s optimistic she and her team will continue to work on in-game techniques.
“There are a lot of things I could have done differently, starting with managing my time better,” Schläpfer said. “Even though we struggled as a team overall, it makes it easier to improve down the road.”
Junior Shelby Huber added 1167 points for Murray State. He scored 583 points in smallbore and 584 in air rifle. Freshman Kelcy McGrath finished with 1162 points for the Racers, as well.
Head Coach Alan Lollar was pleased with his team’s shooting, but acknowledged there’s a lot of progress to be made.
“We shot our average on a weekend that some of our people struggled a little, so I think that was good,” Lollar said. “Everyone worked hard and continued to move forward. I thought Alathea had a nice match.”
Lollar said he would like to see adjustments early and often in the matches to come.
“We need to be more consistent and make our adjustments in a timely manner,” Lollar said.
Murray State will now attempt to win its third straight OVC title this weekend. Jacksonville State, who finished third in total aggregate in the Withrow Invitational, will host the championships. Lollar is looking forward to going for the OVC crown against some formidable teams.
“JSU is ready to host a great championship. This is a good conference,” Lollar said. “We respect all the teams, but we fear no one. We will prepare to our standard, just like we do every day.”
The Racers will shoot for the OVC Championship at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, in Jacksonville, Alabama.
