Tigers Rifle Announces 2016 Signees

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Levi Clark, Amberlie Ezell and Abby Votava all signed to attend the University of Memphis beginning in the fall of 2016, head coach Butch Woolbright announced Thursday.

The following are short biographical sketches on Clark, Ezell and Votava, along with Woolbright's comments on each signee:

Levi Clark
Started competitive shooting in 2012 … Competed for the Tri-County Gun Club Timberbeasts in Sherwood, Ore. … Also a member of the Douglas Ridge Rifle Club (DRRC) … Named the 2013 DRRC Most Improved …

Shot at the 2015 and 2016 National Junior Olympic Championships … Improved finishes in 10m air rifle (89^th to 18^th), 50m 3-position (33^rd to 22^nd) and 50m prone (18^th to 12^th) from 2015 to 2016 … Won boys state championships in both disciplines several times, including the 2014 state prone crown with a grand aggregate score of 3194.230 … Medaled in prone at the 2014 Open National Championships in Ft. Benning, Ga. …

Sister attends University of Newcastle in Australia … Brother graduated from the University of Colorado.

Woolbright on Clark: "Levi is a solid shooter in both disciplines, but there is room for him to improve here at Memphis and I'm confident that he will. He also is a good student-athlete with a high grade-point average and is an honor roll student."

Amberlie Ezell
Accepted to the University of Memphis' Honors Program …

Started competing in both disciplines in recent years, taking up smallbore in October of 2013 and air rifle in February of 2014 … Earned Distinguished Expert distinction through the Junior National Rifle Association (NRA) Program …

Member of the Tri-County Gun Club Timberbeasts, located in Sherwood, Ore., the past three years … As of May 2016, had personal-bests of 570 in smallbore and 591 in air rifle … The 2016 Silver State Junior Olympic Champion in air rifle … Placed 55^th in air rifle at the 2016 Junior Olympic Championships … Finished fourth at the 2016 NRA Open International air rifle match …

In 2015, was the Silver State Junior Olympic champion in both smallbore and air rifle … Placed 50^th in air rifle at the 2015 Junior Olympic Championships and was 55^th at the 2015 Winter Airgun Championships/Olympic Trials … In 2014, finished 45^th in women's prone and 62^nd in women's air rifle at the National Rifle Open Championships … Placed seventh at the 2013 U.S. Army National Air Rifle match …

Graduated from Newberg High School in Newberg, Ore., with a 3.9 grade-point average … Member of the National Honor Society … A cellist in the school's orchestra.

Woolbright on Ezell: "Amberlie has been shooting her best the last five or six months. Her air rifle scores are good, and she is better in that discipline than smallbore at this time of her career. She's been accepted into the University's Honors Program. She is a good addition to our program and should make contributions to the team early."

Abby Votava
Accepted to the University of Memphis' Honors Program …

Selected the 2015 Sportswomen of Colorado Award winner in shooting … Started shooting career with the 2012 Olympic Team Trials in Anniston, Ala. …

Member of the National Training Center (NTC) Shooting Club at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., since 2010 … Has represented the NTC for six years in air rifle and three years in smallbore … Member of the NTC Club that competed in six-straight (2011-16) Colorado State Junior Olympic Championships, winning state titles four times and earning a bronze once … Represented the NTC Club in six-consecutive (2011-16) National Junior Olympic Championships and won the 2014 crown, earning a spot on the USA Shooting Junior National Development Team …

Competed at the 2013 and 2014 Rocky Mountain Rifle Championships in Colorado … Posted scores of 401.5 and 403.7 and placed first in the 2013 and 2014 Colorado 3-position Air Rifle Championships … Also participated at the Winter Airgun Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 2012-14 and had scores of 375, 403.7 and 1224.4 … Placed in the top-30 at the 2014 USA Shooting National Championships in Fort Benning, Ga., and posted a score of 811.1 … Also finished with a score of 1232.7 at the 2014 World Championship Selection Match in Fort Benning, Ga. …

In addition to USA shooting, competed in various matches hosted by other shooting organizations … Took home gold at the 2015 Rocky Mountain State Games … Contributed to the NTC team by shooting at the 2014 and 2015 Army Marksmanship Unit State Competitions, earning one silver and one gold … Helped the NTC team earn first-place team honors in 2014 and 2015 and silver in 2016 at the National Rifle Association sectional matches … Represented the NTC Club at the 2014 and 2015 Colorado National Junior Olympic State Championships in 3-position, finishing third both years … Also competed in various local training matches in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2015-16, finishing in the top-five …

Graduated from Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, Colo., with a 4.0 grade-point average … Competed on the Rangers' swim team four years and the school's cross country team two seasons … Earned academic all-state first team honors in both cross country and swimming … Member of the Lewis-Palmer Women's Choir … Served as president of the Rotary Interact Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes two years.

Woolbright on Votava: "Abby is great competitor and an even better person. She won the Junior Olympics title in 2014, and we're looking forward to her joining our team. Abby also is an outstanding student and has been accepted to the University's Honors Program."

University of Memphis Athletics

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