Post date: Oct 12, 2014 4:15:29 PM
Jaryd Cline Jcline@newsminer.com
After finishing second in last season’s national championships, the second-ranked Alaska Nanooks opened the season by beating No. 14 Tennessee-Martin Saturday at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Patty Center.
The Nanooks compiled a total score of 4,682 while the UTM mixed team scored 4,605 and the UTM women scored 4,426. Alaska snuck by the UTM mixed team in the air rifle 2,358 to 2,334 and won with a little more cushion in the smallbore, 2,324-2,271.
Redshirt freshman Sagen Maddalena finished on top of the air rifle standings and recorded the highest total of the match with a score of 595 in her first collegiate rifle match. Maddalena shot a perfect 100 in both the kneeling 1 and prone 2 positions. Sophomore Soren Butler finished second overall in the air rifle with a score of 592.
Junior Tim Sherry shot 586 in the air rifle and senior Mats Eriksson shot 585. Junior Lorelie Stanfield shot 583 to round out the Nanooks shooters in the air rifle. The UTM mixed team was paced by senior Dana Maurizio, who shot 590 with two perfect segments of 100 each in both prone positions.
In the smallbore Sherry, the defending NCAA individual smallbore national champion, led all Alaska shooters with a score of 583, finishing one point behind UTM’s Dacotah Faught. Stanfield and Butler both shot 582 while Maddalena and Eriksson shot 577 and 575 respectively to round out the Alaska shooters in the small bore.
Maddalena was impressive in her first collegiate match, compiling a total score of 1,172. The Groveland, California, native had a busy summer shooting in Europe in the International Shooting Sports Federation World Championships and shooting in Europe for Team USA. Maddalena also competed in the World Cups in Germany and Slovenia and shot in the world championships and Spanish Grand Prix in Grenada, Spain.
The season-opening match has long been anticipated by the Nanooks, who had four members, including Maddalena, shoot for Team USA in Europe during the summer.
The Nanooks host UT-Martin again today at 9 a.m. before traveling to El Paso, Texas, to face the University of Texas El Paso this coming Saturday.