NC State Rifle Breaks Smallbore Record at Top-Ranked West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The 10^th-ranked NC State rifle team turned in another strong performance Saturday at No. 1 West Virginia, breaking the program record in the smallbore competition. The Wolfpack fired a score of 2320 in smallbore, nine points better than the previous mark.

NC State earned a score of 2334 in the air rifle competition to compile a total team score of 4654, the second highest in program history. West Virginia fired a score of 4719 to earn the win and remain unbeaten at 10-0 and 6-0 in the Great America Rifle Conference (GARC).

The Wolfpack moves to 23-4 on the season and 5-3 against GARC opponents.

Miller's Minute
"In the past 14 days, we've fired four matches at three different schools in three different regions," said head coach Keith Miller. "Those scores are four of the top five scores we've ever fired, so to say we're thrilled with our performances thus far in 2016 would be an understatement.

"We have a lot left to improve, but we are currently making great strides. We are not the same team we were in 2015."

Worth Noting
- Sophomore Caitlyn Ford charted a career-best score of 588 in the smallbore competition to headline the Pack's performance in the event. The score was the second highest fired at the match.
- Ford also paced the Wolfpack in total aggregate score for the first time with a mark of 1174.
- Alex Martin, a senior from Swanzey, N.H., also notched a personal best in smallbore with a 583 clip.
- In air rifle, freshman Tyler Lefebvre fired a personal best 576.

Smallbore Notes
- Ford's score led NC State in the competition, as junior Lucas Kozeniesky closely trailed her with a score of 587 to claim fourth place.
- Martin recorded the Wolfpack's third-best score at 583, while Derya Pekari and William Marciniak rounded out the counting lineup with tallies of 562 and 561, respectively.

Air Rifle Notes
- As a team, the Pack earned a score of 2334 in the air rifle discipline.
- Ford and Kozeniesky each fired a score of 586, as NC State's best score in the competition to tie for fifth.
- Pekari registered a 583 and senior Daniel Cliff notched a 579.
- Martin was the Wolfpack's final counting shooter and scored a 572.

Match Results

	Smallbore	Air Rifle	Aggregate Total
Caitlyn Ford	588*	586	1174
Lucas Kozeniesky	587	586	1173
Alex Martin	583*	572	1155
Derya Pekari	562	583	1145
Daniel Cliff	563	579	1142
Tyler Lefebvre	556	576*	1132
William Marciniak	561	566	1127
Cullen Wargo	552	570	1122
George Williams	541	572	1113
Claire Spina	546	556	1102
Team Totals	2320	2334	4654

*Indicates personal best

Up Next
NC State will have nearly a month of training before participating in the NCAA Qualifier at The Citadel, Feb. 20, which is the next time the Wolfpack will be in action.

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NC State Rifle Breaks Smallbore Record at Top-Ranked West Virginia

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Players Mentioned

Daniel Cliff

Caitlyn Ford

Lucas Kozeniesky

Tyler Lefebvre

Will Marciniak

Alex Martin

Derya Pekari

Claire Spina

Cullen Wargo

George Williams