WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Norwich University rifle team posted a second-place finish in a three-team field at the NCAA Championship Qualifiers, hosted by Army on Saturday afternoon. The Cadets, behind a 4406 aggregate, topped Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) rival Massachusetts Institute of Technology (4372), while falling to the host Black Knights (4687).
Norwich's aggregate tally included a 2197 score in the smallbore, which topped MIT's output while falling short of Army's mark. The Cadets also finished with a 2209 effort in air rifle, narrowly behind the Engineers and Black Knights.
Sophia Ashford (Northfield, Vt.) spearheaded the Cadets at the range, finishing with an 1132 aggregate score, which placed her eighth overall among all shooters. She claimed seventh place in the smallbore on a 568 score before coming in 10th in air rifle with a 564 effort.
Ben Kelley (Niantic, Conn.) and
Aiden Burris (Marietta, Ga.) also saw action in both competitions, as Kelley finished second on the team with a 1102 aggregate on a split of 556 in the smallbore and 546 in air rifle. Burris, meanwhile, logged a 1099 effort, earning a 560 score in smallbore action before tallying a 539 effort in air rifle.
Evan Elders (Spring Hill, Fla.) and
Sage Kontny (Clancy Mont.) rounded out those who competed in air rifle, racking up 556 and 543 scores, respectively, while
Jasmin Mann (Virginia Beach, Va.) and
Jacob Cohn (Colchester, Conn.) registered 513 and 493 efforts in smallbore.
The Black Knights claimed eight of the top 10 spots among individual aggregate totals, with Ashford and MIT's Eleanor Yang rounding out the top individual performers.
NORWICH LEADERS:
- First-year Sophia Ashford (Northfield, Vt.)
- 1132 aggregate, 568 smallbore, 564 air rifle
- Sophomore Ben Kelley (Niantic, Conn.)
- 1102 aggregate, 556 smallbore, 546 air rifle
- Junior Aiden Burris (Marietta, Ga.)
- 1099 aggregate, 560 smallbore, 539 air rifle
- Sophomore Evan Elders (Spring Hill, Fla.)
- Sophomore Sage Kontny (Clancy, Mont.)
- Senior Jasmin Mann (Virginia Beach, Va.)
- Junior Jacob Cohn (Colchester, Conn.)
Norwich will now look ahead to the MAC Championship, hosted by MIT on Saturday, Mar. 1, and Sunday, Mar. 2. The smallbore competition will begin on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. while air rifle will be held on Sunday, starting at 9:30 a.m. The Cadets will aim to improve upon their fourth-place finish in last season's nine-team field, when MIT claimed their first-ever conference championship.
