Tigers Rifle Heads To GARC Championships This Weekend

Friday, February 26

Oxford, Miss.

12 pm CT

University of Memphis

Great American Rifle Conference Championships

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Rifle Heads To GARC Championships This Weekend

Feb 25, 2016 | Rifle

Memphis to face eight of nation's top-20 teams.

GARC Championships Web Page (Schedule of Events/Live Stats)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis rifle squad wraps up its 2015-16 season this weekend when it travels to Oxford, Miss., to compete in the 2016 Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships. The championships are being held at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center, and Ole Miss is the host school.

This weekend's championships match is the final team competition for the No. 9 nationally-ranked Tigers. Memphis learned Thursday evening that it did not qualify for the team competition at the 2016 NCAA Championships in March.

Despite not receiving an NCAA invite, the Tigers are facing some of the nation's best at the GARC Championships this weekend. Among the teams Memphis is shooting against are No. 1 West Virginia, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 10 N.C. State, No. 12 Army, No. 14 Navy, No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 16 Akron.

In head-to-head matches this season, Memphis posted a 4-3 record against GARC opponents. The Tigers defeated N.C. State, Army, Navy and Ole Miss, while dropping decisions to West Virginia, Kentucky and Nebraska. Memphis and Akron did not face each other in a dual match, but the Tigers placed ahead of the Zips at the NCAA Championships Rehearsal in early November. In a field of 12 teams at the NCAA Championships Rehearsal, Memphis was seventh and Akron ninth.

"We've got our work cut out for us this weekend," said Tigers head coach Butch Woolbright. "We'll be shooting against three teams ranked ahead of us, and N.C. State and Army are coming into the match with some momentum as both teams shot their best scores of the season at their sectional qualifiers last weekend. But, I always want our squad to compete against the nation's best, and this weekend will provide that high level of competition."

The Tigers hope to carry some momentum of their own into the GARC Championships. Memphis placed third at the NCAA Sectional Qualifier last weekend. Junior Amy Fister and senior Beth Lee were sixth and eighth, respectively, in aggregate score to lead Memphis at the qualifier. Freshman Sierra Czap had her best performance of the season with an aggregate score of 1160 last weekend.

At last year's GARC Championships, Memphis placed fourth in aggregate score behind West Virginia, Kentucky and Nebraska. The Tigers were third in smallbore and fourth in air rifle. Lee was 16^th in aggregate score with a 1164 (577-587).