NC State Rifle Makes #STATEment at Winter Air Gun Championships

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Current and future members of the NC State rifle team made a #STATEment at the 2015 USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Championships/Air Gun Olympic Trials held at the Olympic Training Center over the weekend.

"This was a fantastic trip for Lucas [Kozeniesky], Caitlyn [Ford], Lauren [Phillips], several future Wolfpack shooters and NC State in general," said head coach Keith Miller. "Watching Lucas was inspirational and magical not only for us, but for many others attending - especially junior shooters.

"He was performing at the highest level, and doing so while upbeat and happy - clearly having a ball as he shot. His relaxed demeanor on the line showed how it should be done, with a calm focus on the moment, on the next shot, and not on the overall outcome. That is how a champion gets to be a champion."

NC State's Lucas Kozeniesky finished first in all three junior finals in the air rifle competition and claimed second place in the overall men's competition, behind only Garrett Spurgeon, a 2015 NCAA All-American. The Wolfpack junior tallied a three-day total of 1876.9, narrowly missing Spurgeon's mark of 1885.6.

With such a dominating performance, Kozeniesky qualified for round two of the air gun selection process to make the 2016 Rio Olympic Team, which will be held in June. He has also likely earned an appearance in the Bangkok World Cup.

On the women's side, sophomore Caitlyn Ford turned in a strong performance to finish 10^th in the junior division and 21^st in the overall women's competition with a three-day total of 1233.7. Ford advanced to the first two national finals in her shooting career, placing third in one of the junior finals and eighth in an overall final.

"Caitlyn made a great step forward against some national level competition," Miller added. "She also did a great job in her last match as a junior competitor."

Lauren Phillips, who will join the program in the spring as a transfer student-athlete, finished in 11^th in the overall women's competition and sixth in the juniors category with a 1245.3 clip.

Future Wolfpackers, who signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) in the fall, Sarah Hickey and Claire Zanti also took part in the championships. Zanti charted a score of 1211.1, while Hickey tallied a 1210.2 total.

The 12^th-ranked NC State rifle team will return to NCAA competition Jan. 17 when it takes on No. 8 Kentucky in West Point, N.Y.

NC State Rifle Makes #STATEment at Winter Air Gun Championships

Players Mentioned

Caitlyn Ford

Lucas Kozeniesky

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