No. 9 Rifle Concludes Opening Weekend at The Citadel

Saturday, September 23

Charleston, S.C. (The Citadel)

All Day

NC State

4630

4703

#1 West Virginia

Photo by: Chris Baird

No. 9 Rifle Concludes Opening Weekend at The Citadel

9/24/2017 9:33:00 PM | Rifle

@packrifle

Wolfpack turns in solid start to the season

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The ninth-ranked NC State rifle team opened the 2017-18 campaign this weekend with a pair of solid scores at The Citadel. The Wolfpack fired an aggregate team score of 4630 on Saturday and followed that performance with a 4650 on Sunday inside McAlister Field House, the site of the 2018 NCAA Championships.

NC State recorded a 2346 in air rifle and a 2284 in smallbore versus North Georgia, Ohio State, The Citadel and top-ranked West Virginia to compile its score of 4630 on Saturday. On Sunday, NCSU charted a 2355 in air rifle and 2295 in the smallbore competition to log the 4650 aggregate total.

The Wolfpack collected wins against North Georgia and The Citadel Saturday before defeating No. 6 Nebraska on Sunday. NC State dropped its first two Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) matches versus No. 1 West Virginia and No. 12 Ole Miss.

Sunday's Match Summary
- Ole Miss turned in a team score of 4661 to win the GARC match with NC State thanks to a 2347 in air rifle and a 2314 in smallbore.
- Nebraska charted a 2327 in air rifle and a 2304 in the smallbore event to compile an aggregate total of 4631 to finish third behind Ole Miss (4661) and NC State (4631).

Smallbore
- Graduate student Lauren Phillips, the reigning GARC smallbore champion, led NC State in the smallbore competition with a score of 578, while sophomore Zach Eisenberg fired a career-best 575 for the Wolfpack's second-best tally.
- Will Marciniak and Claire Zanti logged scores of 572 and 570, respectively.
- NC State newcomer Kendra Jacobs shot a 565 and Derya Pekari rounded out the group with a score of 549.
- The Wolfpack's counting shooters compiled a score of 2295, an improvement of 11 points from the squad's score on Saturday.

Air Rifle
- Jacobs enjoyed a career-best performance in the air rifle competition with a mark of 593 to finish first in the individual standings.
- Phillips turned in the second-best clip in the event with a 592 to claim second place.
- Zanti fired a 588 and Eisenberg earned a 582.
- Pekari was the final counting shooter with a score of 582, while Marciniak competed in exhibition and fired a personal-best 583.
- The Pack logged a team score of 2355 in air rifle.

Aggregate
- Phillips registered an 1170 in the aggregate to lead the Wolfpack, while Jacobs and Zanti each finished an 1158.
- Eisenberg charted an 1157, Marciniak earned an 1155 and Pekari garnered an 1131.

Saturday's Match Summary
- In its first action of the season, the Wolfpack earned a team score of 4630 to finish third with a smallbore clip of 2284 and air rifle with 2346.
- Top-ranked West Virginia, five-time defending National Champions, opened the year with a score of 4703 to claim first in the team standings firing a 2372 in air rifle and 2331 in smallbore.
- No. 5 Ohio State logged an aggregate score of 4646 thanks to a 2346 in air rifle and a 2300 in smallbore.
- North Georgia and The Citadel rounded out the competition with scores of 4609 (2317 AR, 2291 SB) and 4510 (2282 AR, 2228 SB), respectively.

Smallbore
- Phillips, headlined NC State's output in the smallbore competition with a score of 577, while Marciniak claimed a 573.
- Zanti fired a 568 and Pekari, Eisenberg rounded out the lineup each with a score of 566.
- Claire Spina and Tyler Lefebvre also competed in smallbore, firing scores of 566 (Personal Best) and 545, respectively.
- The Wolfpack finished with a team score of 2284 in the event.

Air Rifle
- NC State earned a team total of 2346 in air rifle.
- Phillips paced the Pack with a score of 588, while Zanti ended closely behind at 587.
- Jacobs scored a 586 in her Wolfpack debut and Eisenberg tallied a personal-best score of 585.
- Pekari rounded out the lineup and fired a 580.
- In exhibition, Lefebvre notched a 575 in the air rifle competition and Spina slashed a 571.

Aggregate
- Phillips score of 1165 led the Wolfpack in the aggregate, while Zanti was second with an 1155.
- Eisenberg, Jacobs and Marciniak all tallied a score of 1151 in the aggregate.

Up Next
NC State returns to action Oct. 6 when the Wolfpack travels to Oxford, Miss., for a matchup with Murray State.