By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
Riding high after a pair of victories its last two times out, the University of Tennessee at Martin rifle program heads to the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Championship on Sunday, Feb. 5. The event – presented by Kentucky State Police – was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 but was postponed because of inclement weather creating hazardous travel conditions.
This year’s OVC Championship event will be held at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range on the campus of Murray State University. The Skyhawks are very familiar with the surroundings, having visited Murray, Ky. three times already this season with improved scores in each match (4,558 aggregate points on Oct. 10, 4,591 aggregate points on Oct. 17, 4,602 aggregate points on Jan. 15). The No. 19 ranked Skyhawks will battle the host Racers (ranked No. 6 nationally) and Morehead State (ranked No. 12 in the country) for the right to be called 2022 OVC champions.
UT Martin is coming off arguably its two best performances of the season, defeating UAB by a 4,598-4,548 margin on Jan. 22 and No. 17 North Georgia by a 4,608-4,586 score on Jan. 23. The Skyhawks dialed up a season-high 2,331 air rifle points against UAB while collecting season-best tallies in aggregate scoring (4,608) and smallbore scoring (2,287) against North Georgia.
Head coach MJ Vowell has identified her scoring lineup for the upcoming OVC Championship, as the same five individuals will represent UT Martin in smallbore and air rifle. Those participants include a trio of returners who have combined for nine All-OVC accolades and a pair of freshmen who will be making their OVC Championship debuts.
Jennifer Plocinik leads the way for the Skyhawks as the redshirt senior out of Lehighton, Pa. has topped the team in aggregate scoring seven times in nine opportunities. She has also led UT Martin in air rifle on five different occasions and in smallbore four times. The two-time All-OVC performer boasts team-high averages in both smallbore (572) and air rifle (583).
A five-time All-OVC selection, Rachel Sprague guided the Skyhawks once in aggregate scoring this season while pacing UT Martin three times in smallbore and once in air rifle. The junior from Falls Creek, Pa. carries season averages of 570 in smallbore and 578 in air rifle.
Nick Fares is entering the OVC Championship on a roll as the junior out of Springboro, Ohio has paced the Skyhawks in air rifle scoring in back-to-back matches (three times overall) and aggregate scoring once. Achieving All-OVC honors twice in his UT Martin career, Fares owns season averages of 559 in smallbore and 579 in air rifle.
A freshman from Avella, Pa., Alayna Walther is responsible for season averages of 565 in smallbore and 573 in air rifle. She registered a career-best 577 in smallbore on Oct. 17 at Murray State while firing a career-high 579 in air rifle at the JSU Invitational on Nov. 20.
Jesse Chamberlain has shown consistency throughout his freshman campaign, securing averages of 553 in smallbore and 566 in air rifle. The Bedford, Pa. native compiled a career-high 559 points in smallbore on Nov. 6 at Morehead State while generating a career-best 574 air rifle score on Jan. 15 at Murray State.
The 2022 OVC Championship is a one-day event as the smallbore relays will begin at 9:15 a.m., followed by the air rifle relays at 2:45 p.m. For further information, including links to live scoring, check out the OVC Championship Central webpage here: http://ovcsports.com/sports/2021/7/9/2022rifle.aspx.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information