The UTM rifle squad will compete for the first time in two months as the Skyhawks begin their spring slate this weekend. UTM travels to Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday, Jan. 16 for a matchup against NC State before heading to Murray, Kentucky on Sunday, Jan. 17 to face Ohio State.
After competing in eight matches during the fall semester, the UTM spring schedule features four regular season competitions. Following this weekend, the Skyhawks host UAB (Jan. 23) and Jacksonville State (Jan. 24) on back-to-back days to round out the regular season.
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament is set for Feb. 6-7 on the campus of Morehead State University. UTM is also slated to face Memphis in an NCAA Qualifier in Murray, Kentucky on Feb. 21.
This past fall, the Skyhawks accounted for a 4,567.4 average aggregate score with their season-high tally of 4,592 coming at Murray State on Oct. 25. Their season-best 2,288 score in smallbore also came in that match while their season-high air rifle score of 2,320 came on Oct. 3 against Murray State.
Individually, redshirt senior Jennifer Plocinik paced UTM in total scoring in five of the eight fall matches. The Lehighton, Pennsylvania native topped the squad in air rifle scoring in each of the final seven matches of the fall to go along with a pair of team-high scoring performances in smallbore. She currently leads the team with a 585 scoring average in air rifle.
Rachel Sprague guided the Skyhawks in total scoring three times last semester, producing team-high tallies in smallbore on six different occasions. The junior out of Falls Creek, Pennsylvania was responsible for a team-best 570 scoring average in smallbore while also leading UTM in air rifle scoring twice.
Jacob Osborne also led the Skyhawks in air rifle one time in the fall, as his career-high 585 at Morehead State on Nov. 7 equaled Plocinik for the best score on the squad. He was one of four Skyhawks (joining Plocinik, Nick Fares and Kalen Royal) to compile career-high points in either air rifle or smallbore last semester.
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