Post date: May 23, 2013 11:29:19 AM
By DANNY MARTIN dmartin@newsminer.com
FAIRBANKS — The Alaska Nanooks, with 10 NCAA rifle team championships in their history, will be part of the new Patriot Rifle Conference that starts this coming season.
The other charter members are the Air Force Academy, Nevada, Ohio State, Texas-El Paso and Texas Christian, a two-time NCAA team champion.
The conference headquarters will be at the Air Force Academy in Colorado and Falcons head coach Launi Meili is serving as the conference commissioner.
Academy officials started the discussion about the conference with a few teams, including the Nanooks.
“It seems like a lot of high-quality teams making showings at the NCAA Championship, so it should be good competition and a good group,” Nanooks head coach Dan Jordan said in a PRC release.
“It gets shooters one more high-level competition and that extra level will help prepare them for NCAA’s,” Jordan said. “It’s going to be nice because we’ll see teams like Ohio State, TCU and Air Force that will be at the NCAA meet also; so it’s a good chance to go head-to-head with them.”
Jordan said the Nanooks hadn’t been part of a conference in the past because of the logistical issues and timing of championship events.
“With all the schools being out west and being aware of travel constraints, it fits with all of us and makes sense to get together in one,” Jordan said.
The conference will include head-to-head matches throughout the season and the Patriot Rifle Conference Championship Tournament on Feb. 8-9, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio.
Member schools will compete at home or away with other conference-affiliated teams during one season and teams will reciprocate home and away matches the following year.
The conference tournament will be rotated between member schools each year.