Rifle Preview: NC State

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It may seem a little odd to have a Senior Day with more than half the season still remaining, but that's what the University of Memphis rifle team does Saturday, Nov. 9 when the Tigers host NC State in their final home match of 2019-20.

The Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) match is set for an 8 a.m. (CT) start at the R.F. Fogelman Rifle Range on the University of Memphis campus. Memphis is ranked No. 12 in the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) poll, and NC State is No. 16.

Levi Clark, the Tigers' lone senior on the 2019-20 squad, and is shooting his final match in the Fogelman Rifle Range. However, it isn't the final time Clark shoots on the UofM campus this season. The Tigers host the 2020 GARC Championships in late February, and the event takes place at the Larry O. Finch Center.

Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Poll

Rank	Team	Rank	Team
1.	TCU	11.	Ohio State
2.	West Virginia	*12.*	*Memphis*
3.	Kentucky	t.	Jacksonville State
4.	Air Force	14.	Nebraska
5.	Ole Miss	15.	Morehead State
6.	Army	16.	UT Martin
t.	Akron	17.	NC State
8.	Navy	18.	UTEP
9.	Alaska-Fairbanks	19.	Coast Guard
10.	Murray State	20.	North Georgia

Head coach Dan Hermsmeier comments
(On last week's match vs. No. 1 West Virginia)
"We're improving our home scores. It was a good match against West Virginia. They are a top-ranked team this year like they are most years. We looking to improve our home score so we can get our average up (for NCAA selection)."

(On Levi Clark's Senior Day)
"It will be his last time at home. We're hoping he feels good and shoots one of his best matches. He's doing well, but we have to manage the distractions and the stress. If we can do that, Levi has the chance to put up some really good numbers, which he has done consistently throughout his career."

(On shooting better on the road than at home)
"Our sport is not so much on wins and losses, but where can you find the most points. I've noticed we tend to be more focused and shoot better on the road. That's good for us since, after Saturday, we'll be on the road the rest of the season. We shoot the conference championships here, but that will even feel like an away match since we're shooting in the Finch Center.

"We're going to try and take advantage of our last home match. We'll try to shoot some good numbers and get focused on the road trips we have.

"For some reason, we focus better on the road. In putting together our average (for NCAA selection), our home matches count, but our road matches count more. We don't want to give the home advantage away, so we want to shoot the best we can this weekend."

Tigers Tidbits

For the second year in a row, the Tigers honor one senior on Senior Day. On Saturday, the lone honoree is senior Levi Clark. Last year, Leighton Dempster was the squad's only senior.
NC State visits the R.F. Fogelman Rifle Range for the third year in a row. The Wolfpack and Tigers faced each other in the Bluff City in October of 2017 and 2018.
Last season, the Tigers, ranked No. 16 nationally at the time, upset the No. 8 Wolfpack 4646-4630.
In last year's match, Matt Dorey tied his then career-high smallbore mark at 580. At the time, Dorey also posted his second-best career aggregate of 1163.
The Tigers are looking for their top home score of the season Saturday to improve their chances for the NCAA postseason in March. Included in the calculations to determine the top-eight teams that make the NCAA Championships is each program's top home score. To date, the Tigers' best home mark is 4654 against No. 1 West Virginia Nov. 3.

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Players Mentioned

Leighton Dempster

University of Memphis Athletics