The NCAA News - News and Features

March 2, 1998

National Collegiate Men's and Women's Rifle

Alaska Fairbanks hopes to spoil possible 'four-peat' by West Virginia

Event: 1998 National Collegiate Men's and Women's Rifle Championships.

Overview: West Virginia has won all but three team championships since 1983, including the last three in a row, but this year the story has been Alaska Fairbanks, which won in 1994. The Nanooks' qualifying scores of 4,698 (smallbore) and 1,566 (air rifle) were the highest in years, easily bettering the defending champions' 4,625 and 1,556. Both of the Nanooks' qualifying scores would set championships records if shot at the national meet. The records are 4,683, set in 1995 by West Virginia, and 1,563, set in 1995 by Alaska Fairbanks. Freshman Dan Jordan led Alaska Fairbanks in individual qualifying with scores of 1,180 and 394. Sophomore Joacim Tryboom owns the team's top smallbore average .... West Virginia posted qualifying scores of 4,625 (smallbore) and air rifle (1,556). The relatively low smallbore score could endanger the Mountaineers' qualifying chances in that discipline. Brian Fuhrman, who finished sixth in smallbore last year, led West Virginia in both qualifying rifles. The Mountaineers also return last year's individual smallbore winner, Marcos Scrivner, who also shot the highest air rifle score in the team competition in 1997. Talmadge Wilkins, who shot the highest smallbore score in the team competition last year, also returns .... Marra Hastings of host Murray State is back to defend the individual air rifle championship she won as a freshman. The Racers also have the Ohio Valley Conference's most valuable shooter, Ken Hicks, who has pushed Hastings in air rifle .... Another smallbore individual to watch is Wyoming's Jeff Odor, who finished second last year. In air rifle, a cast of women join the battle to knock off Hastings -- Mary Elsass of Kentucky (fourth last year), Kathy Schuneman of Jacksonville State (fifth) and Norwich's Emily Caruso (sixth).

Field: A maximum of 48 competitors will be selected to participate. The top eight or fewer teams in each team event and 40 or fewer individuals in each individual event will qualify.

Dates and site: March 5-7 at Murray State.

Information/results: The Fax-on-Demand number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1905). The request numbers for qualifiers, current brackets and team scores is 5134 (day one, individual results) and 5135 (day two, team results). Championships results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Results will be published in the March 16 issue of The NCAA News.