Rifle Preview: NCAA Sectional Qualifier

Sunday, February 23

Murray, Ky.

8 am CT

University of Memphis

NCAA Sectional Qualifier

Photo by: © University of Memphis. photo

Feb 22, 2020 | Rifle

Tigers competing Sunday for an NCAA Championships spot in March.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis rifle squad opens action in the 2020 postseason Sunday, Feb. 23 when it travels to Murray, Ky., for the NCAA Sectional Qualifier. The match starts at 8 a.m. (CT) at Murray State's Pat Spurgin Rifle Range.

Memphis and UT Martin are scheduled to shoot at Murray State in one of 12 NCAA Sectional Qualifiers across the country this weekend. Ten of the 12 qualifiers are set for Saturday, with Memphis in one of the final two matches on Sunday.

The Tigers enter the NCAA Sectional Qualifier in the race for an NCAA Championships spot. The nation's top eight teams earn bids to championships weekend in early March. Memphis is currently in that No. 8 and final spot prior to Sunday's match.

Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Poll

Rank	Team	Rank	Team
1.	Kentucky	11.	Army West Point
2.	TCU	12.	NC State
3.	West Virginia	13	Ohio State
4.	Nebraska	14.	Alaska Fairbanks
5.	Akron	15.	Morehead State
6.	Air Force	16.	Jacksonville State
7.	Ole Miss	17.	UT Martin
8.	*Memphis*	18.	UTEP
9.	Murray State	19.	North Georgia
10.	Navy	20.	UAB

Head coach Dan Hermsmeier comments
(On the season)
"I think we've had a great season. I'm not going to compare this to past seasons, but our scores are increasing every year. We had a great small group this season. Our freshman, Taylor, really shined in most of her matches she shot in. Levi, a senior, came off his All-American and NCAA Championships season and his international travel from a year ago, and he did a great job of leading the team."

(On heading into the NCAA Sectional Qualifier)
"The top eight teams make it in, and we're eighth right now. It will be close with the matches this weekend. There's about nine-to-10 teams vying for five open spots. It will be a really intense weekend for all the rifle followers out there who like to sit and watch the scores, add the numbers and calculate the averages. My dad is one of those people."

(On the team's comfort level shooting at Murray State)
"We always shoot our sectional qualifier up there. We see it (Murray State's range) as our 'home-away-from-home.' It's only a three-hour drive from here. We've shot very well there in the past, and I think the score we had three weeks ago was the best we shot there. It gives me a little more confidence that our team can adapt to the range and environment and shoot well this weekend."

Tigers Tidbits

The NCAA Sectional Qualifier is half the score used to determine the top eight teams that earn spots in the NCAA Championships, which are set for Lexington, Ky., in early March. The equation for determining those teams is the average of a squad's best three scores at three different venues in the regular season plus the sectional score divided by two.
The Tigers' top-three scores are a 4679 at Jacksonville State (Gamecock Invitational), 4677 at Murray State (Withrow Invitational) and 4669 at TCU.
Memphis' three-match aggregate is 4675.0 heading into Sunday's NCAA Sectional Qualifier at Murray State.
Last year, Memphis' three-match aggregate heading into the NCAA postseason was 4670.3. In head coach Dan Hermsmeier's first year, the Tigers' average was 4653.6. Over Hermsmeier's three seasons leading the program, Memphis' average has improved by nearly 22 points.
Levi Clark won the individual title at last year's NCAA Sectional Qualifier with a 1176 aggregate. He won the smallbore crown with a career-high 588 score in the discipline.
David Crenshaw, Matt Dorey, Arielle Kimm and Mark Meyeraan all competed in last year's qualifier.
Taylor Gibson makes her collegiate postseason debut Sunday.