#STATEMENT! Kozeniesky Punches Ticket to Rio Olympics

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – NC State All-American Lucas Kozeniesky is heading to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games after making a #STATEment at the U.S. Olympic Trials this weekend, finishing first in the men's air rifle competition.

"We're extremely proud of Lucas' accomplishment," said head coach Keith Miller. "He didn't get caught up in the big stage, which is what we talked about, and he just worked on the simple things that make great shooters.

"He's been having some really good training and shooting some really solid scores, so it was nice to see him consistently shoot great scores and to do it three days in a row was really cool."

The rising senior will be the first NC State shooter to compete in the Olympics, thanks to earning one of two available spots on the U.S. Team for men's air rifle.

Kozeniesky charted the top score in the airgun event on Friday and Saturday before turning in another strong performance Sunday to secure a spot in the Olympics.

The Fairfax Station, Va., native finished the competition with a cumulative total of 1902.4, clinching the top spot by more than 18 points (1883.8). He fired scores of 634.5 Friday, 633.5 Saturday and ended strong Sunday at 634.4.

"It's an awesome feeling to be heading to the Olympics," said Kozeniesky. "Over the past few weeks, I've been working on mental management exercises and I was able to mold that with my training to be as efficient as possible.

"My confidence level was really high heading into the weekend and I trusted my training, which allowed me to be successful."

Kozeniesky tallied 20 points in the finals sessions, the most by any shooter in the competition. The NC State standout also charted the most center shots with 154.

Earlier this season, he became the first Wolfpack All-American since 1975 when he claimed the honor. In addition, Kozeniesky earned an individual selection to the NCAA Championships in air rifle and finished among the top 10, firing the highest score in the preliminary round to match the program record with a tally of 596.

The 2016 Summer Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5 through 21.

"Lucas is the first, but hopefully he's not the last shooter to earn a spot on the Olympic Team," Miller added.

#STATEment

#STATEMENT! Kozeniesky Punches Ticket to Rio Olympics

Players Mentioned

Lucas Kozeniesky

Related Videos