Liberty University Club Sports
NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Sectionals
Liberty rifle team performs well at NRA Sectional in preparation for WIRC Championships
2/9/2023 11:39:00 AM | Rifle
Liberty University's rifle team dominated Saturday's competition at the NRA Intercollegiate Sectionals in Jackson, Mich., on Feb. 4, in the team's second official away competition of the semester.
Competing against the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Purdue University in a pool of 33 total shooters, the Flames and Lady Flames fired a total of 4493 points to finish first in smallbore and air rifle, with scores of 2209 and 2284, respectively.
Senior Kristen Gagne led the charge for Liberty, recording first place in smallbore and third in air rifle. Gagne's smallbore performance included a dominant score of 572, with a near-perfect 199 from the prone position.
Other shooters who placed include sophomore Claudia Weber, who finished second in smallbore, and freshman Elizabeth Gilroy, who took second in air rifle.
This victory came only a week after the team traveled to Annville, Pa., for the Palmyra Smallbore and Air Rifle Invitational on Jan. 28. That competition was open to shooters at the adult, collegiate, and high school levels and also included one of Liberty's former rifle team members, Susie Morcom, who competed as an adult.
These events marked the first opportunities for the team to compete in-person against other squads this season, with all previous competitions held remotely and monthly from October to January.
These shoots, known as postal competitions, involve each team firing at their home ranges and electronically submitting scores. Liberty finished the postal schedule ranked No. 2 in the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference (WIRC).
January and February mark the busiest months for the team, which will compete in a total of eight events (four smallbore and four air rifle) between Jan. 19 and Feb. 19, concluding with the WIRC Championships back in Jackson, Mich., on Feb. 18-19. Liberty finished second out of 12 teams at the 2022 WIRC Championships.
"Competing that often really puts you in the mindset to be prepared for each competition," Liberty Head Coach Marlene Gray said. "(Assistant) Coach Kevin (Gray) and I are just thrilled with how the team has pulled together all their training for the whole year to be able to actually put into practice (in preparation) for the competitions that we have coming up, leading to our WIRC Championships."
Gray's team will use its twice-weekly practice time to further improve its shooting skills and accuracy.
"Our practices are going to be very focused in the next two weeks and they'll really dial in on, 'Do I need to practice my standing?' 'Do I need to work on my kneeling position?' They're going to really dial in on what they need to train for to be prepared in two weeks," Gray said.
"The team is very encouraging to one another," she added. "If somebody's struggling with something, they make suggestions, 'Hey, can you try this or make adjustments there?' So, the team is really working well together."
Following the conference championships, the squad will have a brief hiatus from competition before traveling to the ASSA Intercollegiate Rifle Club National Championships in Fort Wayne, Ind., from March 31 to April 2. Liberty finished third in smallbore, air rifle, and aggregate at the 2022 nationals.
By Christian Shields/Staff Writer
