Air Force Academy
Citadel/VMI/N. Ga./Wofford
Falcons head to Patriot Rifle Conference Championships
1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM | Rifle
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. -- The No. 4 Air Force rifle team heads to Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 4-5 for the 2016 Patriot Rifle Championships, hosted by Ohio State. Smallbore is slated for Feb. 4 and air rifle is on Feb. 5 against conference opponents No. 1 TCU, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Alaska, No. 10 Nevada, and No. 17 UTEP.
Scouting the Opponents (PRC): Throughout the season, the rifle conference teams' aggregate averages for NCAA scoring have been on the rise. As of Jan. 30, Air Force has been averaging 4687.3 points, just 25 points under TCU's 4712.5. Ohio State has an average of 4676.857, and Alaska is averaging 4674.222 points. Nevada's team has been averaging 4654.000 points and UTEP has a 4597.50 average.
PRC History: In 2016, Air Force is currently 5-5 in the conference. Last year, the rifle team finished fourth in both the smallbore (2315) and air rifle (2357), to secure their fourth-place finish with a 4672 in the championships. In the final team standings, TCU ranked No. 1 and was followed by Alaska, Ohio State, Air Force, Nevada, and UTEP, respectfully. Three Falcons earned all-conference honors (then-senior David Higgins, freshman Spencer Cap, and sophomore Spencer Brandon).
Setting records (PRC): Last year, Cap scored an 1172 to set a team record. Higgins set a school record with a 581 in smallbore, while Tyler Rico (Class of 2016) had the record for air rifle with a 594. The smallbore (2315) and aggregate totals (4672) were team records for Air Force in the PRC.
Rifle Athlete of the Week (Jan. 30): This week's coach's selection for the rifle athlete of the week is senior Ryan Jacobs (CS31). Jacobs' smallbore score of 587 in the match against the Citadel on Jan. 29 helped to lead the Falcons to their 4696-4514-4250 victory in the match. Jacobs scored a 196 in kneeling and then followed that score with a perfect 200 in prone and a 191 in standing. For his final score, he shot a 593 in air rifle and finished with
Last Week (Jan. 28-29): The Falcons were in Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 28-29, for matches against the Citadel Bulldogs and No. 20 North Georgia, VMI and Wofford on Saturday, Jan. 28, and a match against the Citadel and their women's squad on Sunday, Jan. 29. Air Force won on both days with top scores by several of the rifle team's shooters.
On Saturday, in the match against all opponents, Air Force won 4676 -- 4547 vs North Georgia, Citadel followed with 4518 points, VMI scored a 4488 and the VMI women's squad had a 4408. Wofford came in at sixth place with a 4292 and the Citadel women's squad had 4263. In NCAA scoring, Air Force had 2321 in smallbore and 2355 in air rifle.
Individuals: The Falcons' top individuals in the match were sophomore Anna Weilbacher, with an aggregate score of 1174, and Jacobs with 1171 points. Sophomore Spencer Cap followed with 1169. In smallbore, freshman Logan Ogden had 1162 while scoring a 583 for a career best. Cap scored a perfect 200 in the prone, and Weilbacher scored a 100, 96 in kneeling, 100, 98 in prone and 94, 95 in standing. Jacobs shot a 594 in the air rifle and had a perfect 200 in his first two rounds. Junior Spencer Brandon also competed and finished with 1154, he scored a perfect 100 in the prone and finished with a 572 in the discipline; he also scored a 582 in air rifle.
On Sunday, the Falcons competed against the Citadel and the Bulldogs' women's squad. Air Force won the match finishing 20 points higher than the previous day's score. Air Force scored a 4696 to the Citadel's 4514 and the Bulldogs' women with a 4250. In smallbore, the Falcons had a 2326 and followed that score with 2370 in air rifle.
Individuals: Jacobs was the leading scorer in the match, finishing with 1180. He had a 587 in smallbore and 593 in air rifle, which led all competitors in scoring. Leading in the next six top positions were Ogden with 1174, Weilbacher's 1173, Cap's 1169, Nick Learn with an 1162 and Brandon's 1145. Cotton Poole was the Citadel's top individual with 1139.
What's on deck: NCAA qualifying matches begin around the country. Air Force and TCU will go head-to-head, Saturday, Feb. 18, in Fort Worth for a qualifier match. Last year, Air Force won the match against TCU by one point (4686-4685).
Players Mentioned
