Rifle Earns 10th Straight NCAA Berth
2/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rifle
TCU has put together an impressive campaign to date. The Horned Frogs finished the regular season with a 12-1 mark, including their first-ever Patriot Rifle Conference Championship. TCU's lone setback was a one-point loss in the NCAA qualifier to Air Force.
The Frogs have put up solid numbers all season long, surpassing the 4,700 point plateau on a trio of occasions. As a team, the Frogs are averaging 2,369 in air rifle and 2,326 in smallbore.
A pair of freshmen have been pleasant additions to the squad. Rachel Garner has fired a 580 or better in smallbore in all 13 matches this season, while Nicole Hankey is one of three Horned Frogs with an average of 590 or better in air rifle. Mindy Miles paces the group with an average air rifle score of 594, while Garner's 583 is tops on the smallbore side.
Alaska-Fairbanks, Air Force, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio State, Nebraska and Murray State round out the tournament field.
The top eight teams in both the smallbore three-position and air rifle events were selected based on the average of the three highest regular-season aggregate scores with no more than one match at any given site. The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores from the designated qualifiers to determine the top eight teams.
Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 11. Individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 12. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution.
TCU won the national title under head coach Karen Monez in 2010 and 2012. Additionally, the squad claimed the air rifle National Championship in both 2010 and 2012, while taking home the smallbore National Championship in 2013. Sarah Scherer is the only individual to win national titles, doing so in smallbore in 2010 and 2012.
Players Mentioned
