Rifle travels to Lexington for NCAA Rifle Championship.
3/13/2025 11:15:00 AM | Rifle
Murray State looks to add to its seven NCAA individual championships and win its third team title.
Dates (Times): March 14-15 (8:00Â a.m. CT)
Site: Lexington, Ky. (Historical Memorial Coliseum)
Stats: ncaarifle.org
Live Stream: ncaa.com
The Murray State Racers will compete in the NCAA Rifle Championship in Lexington, Ky., from March 14 to 15.
The Racers will compete alongside Air Force, Alaska Fairbanks, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Ole Miss, TCU, and West Virginia.Â
The championship includes the top eight teams in the smallbore three-position and air rifle events based on the average of the three highest regular-season aggregate scores with no more than one match at any given site. The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores from the designated qualifiers to determine the top eight teams.
Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position will be held Friday, March 14, and individual and team competitions in air rifle will be held Saturday, March 15. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the total scores of the smallbore and air rifle teams into one aggregate score for each institution.
This is Murray State's first NCAA Championships appearance since 2022-23 and 36th all time. The Racers shot 2322 in smallbore and 2366 in air rifle to finish the event with an aggregate of 4688 and in eighth out of eight teams.
The Racers are currently sixth in the nation with an average aggregate of 4721.857 and have the fourth-highest smallbore average at 2346.5. Carlotta Salafia leads the team with an average aggregate of 1181.833 and John Blanton is right behind with an average of 1181.571. Blanton has the best smallbore average at 587.071 while Salafia leads the team with an air rifle average of 596. Â
"It's been an amazing opportunity to give my best," said Salafia. "I'm really excited!"
In their NCAA Qualifier match, the Racers put up historic numbers with scores of 2357 in smallbore and 2375 in air rifle for an aggregate of 4732. The 2375 in air rifle was the second highest in school history, as was their aggregate score.   Â
"Our stated goal is to get to play on the last day of the season, if we do that we get our opportunity," said Head Coach Alan Lollar. "All we can ask for is the chance to perform to our potential. That's what success is to us, train to our standard and carry that training into the match. Control what we can control and let the rest go. Work the process and the score takes care of itself." Â
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics), and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State Rifle on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersRifle).
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Players Mentioned
