No. 9 NC State Rifle Opens 2017-18 Season This Weekend

RALEIGH, N.C. – After finishing last season ranked ninth in the final polls, just one spot shy of advancing to the NCAA Championships, the NC State rifle team begins the 2017-18 season this weekend with a determined mindset to be among the top eight teams in the nation.

The Wolfpack starts its quest towards that goal this weekend when it travels to The Citadel for matches on Saturday and Sunday inside McAlister Field House. NC State kicks off the season in the same manner it did a year ago with a Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) match with top-ranked West Virginia.

Also joining the two teams in competition Saturday is No. 20 North Georgia, fifth-ranked Ohio State and the host Bulldogs. Sunday the Pack will take on No. 6 Nebraska and 12^th-ranked Ole Miss.

This weekend's matches are part of an NCAA Test Match, as members of the NCAA Rifle Committee will be present to assess the facilities and setup in advance of the 2018 NCAA Championships hosted by The Citadel.

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Strong Returners
NC State has a strong group of returners to the squad for the season, headlined by All-American and GARC smallbore individual champion Lauren Phillips. The graduate student recorded a 592.23 season average in the air rifle competition, which was the 12^th-best clip in the nation.

Also returning is senior Derya Pekari, a three-year member of the Wolfpack's counting lineup, and juniors Tyler Lefebvre, William Marciniak and Claire Spina. Zach Eisenberg and Claire Zanti are back for their sophomore campaigns.

Lone Newcomer
Kendra Jacobs, a transfer from the Air Force Academy, is the only newcomer on the 2017-18 Wolfpack rifle team, as the squad does not have any freshmen on its roster.

Replacing the All-American, Olympian
One of the toughest challenges NC State faces this season is replacing the production provided by former All-American and U.S. Olympian Lucas Kozeniesky, who graduated in May.

Head Coach Keith Miller acknowledges that it will be a tough task, but says his group is ready to step up to the challenge.

Marciniak Wins Prone Championship at NRA Nationals
This summer, Marciniak claimed the title in the junior prone championship at the National Rifle Association (NRA) Nationals held in Bristol, Ind. The junior looks to build on that performance to help lead the Wolfpack in the smallbore event this season.

No. 9 NC State Rifle Opens 2017-18 Season This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Zach Eisenberg

Kendra Jacobs

Lucas Kozeniesky

Tyler Lefebvre

Derya Pekari

Lauren Phillips

Claire Spina

Claire Zanti

North Carolina State University Athletics