The third-ranked Kentucky rifle team claimed the first match in its spring-opening weekend with one still to go, defeating Army 4711-4650 at the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center on the West Point campus.
“It’s nice to start the season with a win,” head coach Harry Mullins said. “The team performed well in numerous areas, especially the areas we addressed during training camp and preparation. Henrik (Larsen) had another solid day today along with Cat (Papasodora) and Hailee (Sigmon) in air rifle. We battled for a lot of our points and I was proud of that.”
Led by Larsen and Papasodora, UK shot its second-highest air rifle total of the season at 2374.
The Wildcats claimed the top three spots in the individual standings. Larsen was the high finisher for the match, shooting 595 in both disciplines for an 1190 aggregate, which ranks sixth nationally. The Mysen, Norway, native now owns four of the top six aggregate scores in the country, including one tied atop with TCU’s Mindy Miles at 1193. The freshman standout’s 595 in smallbore also leads the nation and ties his career high. It’s the third time he’s nabbed the score this season.
Papasodora fired a new career-high score in air rifle, matching Larsen’s 595 and besting her previous high by a single point. It’s her fourth score of 590 or better this season. The junior also achieved her second-best smallbore score of the season with a 582 to begin the match. Papasodora claimed second overall in the individual standings with an 1177 aggregate.
Billy Azzinaro rounded out the top three for UK with a 592 in air rifle and 584 in smallbore. Both are the junior’s second-best scores of the season. Sigmon shot in place of Hanna Carr, who was injured, and constructed a new career high in air rifle with a 592. The freshman would ultimately finish seventh overall. Jason Spaude followed one spot behind in eighth.
The Wildcats will stay at West Point and the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center for their final match of the weekend when they take on No. 13 North Carolina State at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
“Going into tomorrow, we will see if we have the stamina and focus to match or surpass today’s performance,” Mullins added. “I was really happy with the manner and how the team worked today.”
For the latest on the Kentucky rifle team, follow @UKRifle on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
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Grant Gearheart
