Rifle Preview: GARC Championships

Friday, February 22

Akron, Ohio

All Day

University of Memphis

Great America Rifle Conference Championships

Feb 21, 2019 | Rifle

Tigers' Clark, Dempster take home all-league honors.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis rifle squad wraps up its team competition this weekend at the 2019 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships in Akron, Ohio. The University of Akron's Stile Athletics Field House is hosting the two-day conference event Friday-Saturday, Feb. 22-23.

The action begins with smallbore competition Friday at 7 a.m. (CT). On Saturday, the air rifle discipline is slated to start at 7 a.m. (CT).

On Thursday night, the Tigers were rewarded for their outstanding campaign with four members of the squad earning eight GARC honors. Senior Leighton Dempster received All-GARC first team honors in air rifle and aggregate and also was All-GARC second team in smallbore. Junior Levi Clark was selected All-GARC honorable mention in both disciplines and aggregate. It is Clark's second career honorable mention accolade in smallbore.

Junior Amberlie Ezell and freshman Mark Meyeraan shared the team's GARC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolade. It is the third-straight year Ezell received GARC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor.

Head Coach Dan Hermsmeier comments
"We are looking to end our season on a strong note this weekend. We have performed well this season against conference opponents, and we have another great opportunity Friday and Saturday.

"I'm very proud of our award winners in Leighton and Levi. They both have worked very hard this season, and I'm happy to see them be recognized for their efforts."

Competing Schools (national rank in parenthesis)
Akron (13), Army (8), Kentucky (2), Memphis (12), Navy (6), NC State (11), Nebraska (17), Ole Miss (10), West Virginia (4)

Tigers Tidbits

This is the second time in three seasons the Great America Rifle Championships (GARC) are held at the University of Akron. The Zips also hosted the event in 2017. The Tigers placed seventh in the 2017 GARC Championships.
In the first season under head coach Dan Hermsmeier in 2017-18, Memphis finished ninth in the GARC Championships.
In head-to-head match-ups in 2018-19, Memphis was 3-5 against GARC foes. The Tigers were 2-1 versus GARC opponents since the turn of the New Year, including a victory over Akron. The match with Akron, though, was held in Lexington, Ky.
The Tigers also posted a win over Nebraska in taking Jacksonville State's Gamecock Invitational title. In that match, Memphis set program records for team smallbore (2332) and aggregate (4689).
Senior Leighton Dempster and junior Levi Clark are shooting in their fourth and third GARC Championships, respectively. Both have improved their aggregate marks each season. Dempster increased her aggregate from 1145 as a freshman (2016) to 1149 as a sophomore (2017) to 1161 as a junior (2017). Likewise, Clark shot a 1146 aggregate as a freshman (2017) and improved to 1160 as a sophomore (2018).
Junior Amberlie Ezell also is shooting in her third GARC Championships, while sophomore Matt Dorey is competing in his second league championships match.