The University of Memphis rifle team’s season is about to kick off, and it will start the year ranked in the top 20 of the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association preseason poll, coming in at No. 11.
This is the fourth straight year the Tigers have been ranked in the CRCA, and No. 11 is the highest thus far.
Head coach Butch Woolbright, who is now in his 22nd year, said he the No. 11 ranking is fair for the Tigers right now.
“I believe we have another good squad this season,” Woolbright said. “The No. 11 preseason ranking is right where we should be heading into this season, but I believe we’ll get better as the season progresses. As many other coaches say, it’s not where you start but where and how you finish a season.”
The Tigers are coming off their most successful season finishing fourth in the NCAA Championships in March. That team started the season ranked 12th.
One of the biggest losses from that fourth-place team is Dan Hermsmeier, the former Tiger was named to the All-America first team in both smallbore and air rifle last season.
However, Memphis returns Amy Fister and Elizabeth Lee, both of whom earned All-Great American Rifle Conference honors last season. Fister also received All-America honorable mention honors in smallbore.
The Tigers also have three new players in Haylea Broughton, Makennon Doran and Eli Rischling. Woolbright said the freshman are going to get better over time.
“(They need) repetition, mental techniques and things like that,” Woolbright said.
The Tigers will be hoping to end the reign of West Virginia; the Mountaineers have won the last two NCAA championships. They also start the year ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll followed by runners up and third place finishers, Alaska-Fairbanks and Kentucky, respectively. Nebraska and TCU round out the top five.
Woolbright said he hopes Tigers fans will come out and support the rifle team this season.
“They need to watch; we are going to have a pretty doggone-good team this season,” Woolbright said.
The Tigers will open its season this weekend with two competitions. Memphis will begin their season with the Ole Miss Open in Oxford on Friday and then host the Tiger Open on Sunday.
Last season, Memphis finished third in the Ole Miss Open. Jacksonville State took top honors in the tournament.
The Blue and Gray also took third place in their own tournament a year ago. The Horned Frogs of TCU won the tournament.
