MARTIN, Tenn. – The 2023-24 regular season finale took place today for the University of Tennessee at Martin rifle team, who battled against in-state rival Memphis at the Skyhawk Rifle Range.
The Skyhawks earned a score of 4,624 points, which came up just short as the 12th-ranked Tigers tallied a 4,691 aggregate score. UT Martin accrued 2,328 points in air rifle and 2,296 points in smallbore while Memphis collected 2,375 air rifle points and a 2,316 smallbore score.
Alayna Walther tied a career-high with 586 smallbore points (also set Nov. 17, 2023 at Jacksonville State) while posting 591 points in air rifle – ending her day with a season-best 1,177 aggregate score. Nick Fares also topped his previous season-high in aggregate scoring as he managed 1,171 points (589 air rifle, 582 smallbore).
Walther and Fares were responsible for the Skyhawks’ top two scores in air rifle. They were followed by Joey Kovach’s 575, Aubrey Summers’ 573 and Jeffrey Bourassa’s 570. Jesse Chamberlain also fired a 570 while competing as an individual.
In smallbore, it was Walther and Fares atop the UT Martin lineup once again while Kovach (577), Chamberlain (551) and Bourassa (551) also contributed to the team total. Summers took part in smallbore as an individual, pitching in 545 points.
Overall, Kovach accounted for an aggregate score of 1,152 while Bourassa and Chamberlain registered identical scores of 1,121 points. Summers came away with 1,118 aggregate points to wrap up the scoring for the Skyhawks.
UT Martin will now focus on the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Championships, which will be held on Feb. 3-4 in Morehead, Ky. Action will begin at 8 a.m. CT both days as the smallbore portion will take place on Saturday and the air rifle competition is set for Sunday.
