Feb. 22, 2005

MEMPHIS, TENN. - The NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Committee announced today that the University of Memphis rifle team has qualified to shoot in the 26th Annual National Collegiate Men's and Women's Rifle Championship to be held March 11-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

This is the first time in school history that the Tigers have qualified for the prestigious event as a team. Memphis will shoot in the air rifle division. In 2004, Memphis' Beth Tidmore qualified as an individual, and placed 16th in air and 14th in smallbore. Tidmore was also selected this season as an individual qualifier.

"I am so very pleased that we have made it this far," said head coach Butch Woolbright. "This was the goal that we set at the start of this season, and we accomplished that goal. The whole team is so very excited, and we have a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us."

A total of 48 competitors were selected for the championships. The top eight teams in both the smallbore three-position and air rifle events were selected. The top 10 individuals in air rifle and the top 12 individuals in smallbore qualified for the individual championships.

Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 11. Individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 12. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team totals into one aggregate score for each institution.

In the 2004 championships, the Nanooks of the University of Alaska Fairbanks captured their sixth consecutive team title at the National Collegiate Men's and Women's Rifle Championships. The Nanooks won the crown with an aggregate score of 6,273 out of a possible 6,400 in smallbore and air rifle combined. The University of Nevada, Reno finished second with 6,185 points, followed by the U.S. Naval Academy at 6,182.

The Tigers will compete in the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) championship this weekend at Ole Miss. The event will run Friday and Saturday, and will feature the U of M as well as Ole Miss, Nebraska, Kentucky, Xavier, Army and West Virginia.

Below is a listing of team and individual qualifiers for the NCAA Championship:

Team Qualifiers (Smallbore Three-Position)
Alaska Fairbanks
Army
Jacksonville State
Kentucky
Navy
Nebraska
UTEP
Xavier


Team Qualifiers (Air Rifle)
Alaska Fairbanks
Army
Jacksonville State
Kentucky
Memphis
Navy
Nebraska
Nevada


Individual Qualifiers (Smallbore Three-Position)
Christopher Abalo, Army
Jamie Beyerle, Alaska Fairbanks
Chris Boggs, Kentucky
Kristina Fehlings, Nebraska
Joseph Hall, Jacksonville State
Joseph Hein, Alaska Fairbanks
Michael Jablonski, Army
Hannah Kerr, Xavier
Matthew Rawlings, Alaska Fairbanks
Chris Schneider, Navy
Matthew Wallace, Alaska Fairbanks
Leah Wilcox, UTEP


Individual Qualifiers (Air Rifle)
Christopher Abalo, Army
Jamie Beyerle, Alaska Fairbanks
Misty Chanek, Nebraska
Chris Dautel, Tennessee Tech
Kristina Fehlings, Nebraska
Andrea Franzen, Nebraska
Lucas Leinberger, Army
Matthew Rawlings, Alaska Fairbanks
Ryan Tanoue, Nevada
Beth Tidmore, Memphis