No. 2 rifle team faces Ohio State

Post date: Jan 18, 2014 10:53:08 PM

By Danny Martin

FAIRBANKS — The Alaska Nanooks, ranked second in the latest Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association poll, play host to ninth-ranked Ohio State today and face The Citadel on Monday.

The Nanooks and the Buckeyes, of Columbus, Ohio, take aim at 9 this morning in the E.F. Horton Range in the Patty Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It’s also the first Patriot Rifle Conference match between the teams.

The Nanooks and the Bulldogs, of Charleston, S.C., will be in the range at 9 on Monday morning.

Ohio State and The Citadel are also shooting against each other in a neutral-site competition at 9 on Sunday morning in the Patty Center.

The Nanooks are 7-0 in dual matches this season while the Buckeyes are 4-2 and the Bulldogs 2-1.

The Nanooks dropped from No. 1 in the national poll after the CRCA went to its three-score average to determine this week’s rankings. In the three-score format, a team’s ranking is determined from its highest home match score and highest two scores in away competition.

Alaska’s three-score average was 4,691.33, which was two-thirds of a point off of Kentucky’s 4,692.0, which put the Wildcats back to No. 1 in the poll.

The Wildcats lost twice to the Nanooks in duals at the Patty Center in November.

The Nanooks could return to the top ranking if they register a total of 4,704 or higher this weekend.

The Nanooks are coming off a 4,680-4,624 victory over then seventh-ranked Air Force on Jan. 9 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Nanooks registered scores of 2,359 in air rifle and 2,321 in smallbore.

Alaska was paced by junior Mats Eriksson, who tied match highs with a 592 in air rifle and a 582 in smallbore. Junior teammate Ryan Anderson matched Eriksson’s air rifle effort while sophomore Tim Sherry tied Eriksson’s smallbore tally.

Anderson, Sherry and senior Mike Liuzza also qualified in Colorado Springs for the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup USA on March 26-April 3 in Fort Benning, Ga.

Anderson qualified second in the three-position (3x40 shots) while Sherry took fourth in the same event. Liuzzua finished fourth in the prone match.