North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
SEARC Championship
No. 19 NC State Rifle Places Second at SEARC Championships
3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Rifle
February 27, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. - On Saturday, Feb. 26, the No. 19 NC State rifle team placed second at the Southeastern Air Rifle Conference (SEARC) Championships in Milledgeville, Ga. Firing an overall team score of 2,270, the Wolfpack placed just behind conference champion Birmingham Southern, which shot a 2,278. The Citadel claimed third-place with 2,250 points. The match leaves NC State with a 30-4 record in NCAA competition with a final national ranking at No. 19. In SEARC action, the Pack finished second overall with a record of 24-2.
On the shoulders of sophomores Jennifer Marshall, Matthew Gifford and freshman Tom Knight, the Wolfpack landed three of the top eight shooters in the league for the season. Going into the championship finals, Marshall held the conference's highest average, while Gifford placed fifth and Knight stood at eighth. All red and white sharpshooters improved their scores during the final round at the SEARC Championships. Despite being sick throughout the entire weekend, Marshall fired a match-high 97 score to collect the SEARC Individual Conference Championship. With a strong 96-point showing in the finals, Gifford finished the season in fourth place, while Knight landed at seventh-place with a 95-point effort.
In his first SEARC Championship appearance Knight certainly rose to the occasion, shooting well enough to catapult himself in the finals competition with a solid 572 match score. Earlier in the week, Knight's air rifle malfunctioned and broke during practice, leaving the Burke, Va. native to use a borrowed rifle at the conference showdown.
The event also saw the Pack bidding adieu to redshirt senior Ryan Dorety, as the Winston-Salem, N.C. native saw competition in her final collegiate SEARC meet.
"Ryan has really been a bonus for our program," head coach Keith Miller said. "To have someone of her character on board for so many years, it's really a blessing for coaches. Her strong work ethic and team attitude will definitely be remembered and missed next season."
Although NC State didn't claim a second consecutive conference crown, Miller found plenty of reasons to be excited with his team's effort throughout the season.
"We're very happy to move up from our No. 23 national finish last year. Our smallbore was a little off from our goals, but in air rifle we have really performed well and we outdistanced several national powers like West Virginia and Birmingham Southern. You know your team is shooting well anytime they can beat out a prior national champion.
"We did achieve one of our primary goals of moving into the top-20 this season, and that's something we're very proud of," Miller stated. "With a better performance in smallbore to match our solid air rifle, we could have moved into the top-15 easily."
On Sunday, Feb. 27, the Wolfpack sharpshooters held an additional smallbore match with Georgia Military College and the men's and women's squads from The Citadel. NC State collected first place with ease, as Knight led all shooters with a 578 score.
SEARC Championships - NC State Individual Totals - Sat., Feb. 26 Tom Knight - 572 Jennifer Marshall - 570 Matthew Gifford - 567 Ryan Dorety - 559 Bill Reynolds - 557 (not applied to team score) Team Total: 2,268
SEARC Season Scores 1. Birmingham Southern - 2,278.4 2. NC State - 2,270.0 3. Citadel - 2,250.0 4. NCGSU - 2,205.0 5. Clemson - 2,189.4 6. Georgia Military College - 2,106.4 7. Wofford - 2,051.4 8. Mercer - 1,905.0 9. Appalachian State - 1,896.0
Smallbore Match - Sun., Feb. 27 1. NC State - 2,268 2. The Citadel (men) - 2,152 3. Georgia Military College - 1,990 4. The Citadel (women) - 1,967
Smallbore Match - NC State Individual Totals - Sun., Feb. 27 Tom Knight - 578 Matthew Gifford - 569 Jennifer Marshall - 567 Ryan Dorety - 554
