Saturday, February 1
Murray, Ky.
9:15 a.m.
UT Martin
vs
OVC Championships
Skyhawks Turn In Strong Performance at OVC Championship
2/1/2025 6:41:00 PM | Rifle
MURRAY, Ky. – The University of Tennessee at Martin rifle team fired a 4654 to finish the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Championship in third place Saturday at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range in Murray, Kentucky. The Skyhawks were in second after shooting a 2312 in smallbore but fell to third after their 2342 score in air rifle was clipped by Morehead State.
Murray State claimed its 19th OVC title on the day with an aggregate score of 4728, the Racers have now claimed nine out of the last 10 championships. Morehead State outshot UT Martin in air rifle with a 2362, to finish 12 points ahead of the Skyhawks in aggregate scoring with a 4666.
Junior Joey Kovach had a career day for the Skyhawks firing a 576 in smallbore, which was above his season average, in addition to turning in personal bests in air rifle and aggregate scoring at 588 and 1164, respectively. Freshman Sadie Palfrey led UT Martin across all three categories on the day with a 585 in smallbore, a 591 in air rifle and a 1176 in aggregate scoring.
Senior Alayna Walther turned in a 580 smallbore and a 581 air rifle to finish the day at 1161, while sophomore Aubrey Chenoweth went 569 in smallbore and 582 in air rifle for a total of 1151. Freshman Liam Tegeler used a 571 in smallbore and a 567 in air rifle to finish his day at 1138.
Following the championship, multiple Skyhawks received postseason honors. Palfrey led the way by being named first-team All-OVC in smallbore, second-team All-OVC in air rifle and to the All-Newcomer teams for both smallbore and air rifle. Kovach earned a spot on the All-OVC second team for both smallbore and air rifle, while Walther was named All-OVC second team for smallbore. Liam Tegeler rounded out the honors for UT Martin by being named to the All-Newcomer smallbore team.
The Skyhawks will now have three weeks to prepare for the annual NCAA Qualifier on Feb. 22, also hosted by Murray State.
Murray State claimed its 19th OVC title on the day with an aggregate score of 4728, the Racers have now claimed nine out of the last 10 championships. Morehead State outshot UT Martin in air rifle with a 2362, to finish 12 points ahead of the Skyhawks in aggregate scoring with a 4666.
Junior Joey Kovach had a career day for the Skyhawks firing a 576 in smallbore, which was above his season average, in addition to turning in personal bests in air rifle and aggregate scoring at 588 and 1164, respectively. Freshman Sadie Palfrey led UT Martin across all three categories on the day with a 585 in smallbore, a 591 in air rifle and a 1176 in aggregate scoring.
Senior Alayna Walther turned in a 580 smallbore and a 581 air rifle to finish the day at 1161, while sophomore Aubrey Chenoweth went 569 in smallbore and 582 in air rifle for a total of 1151. Freshman Liam Tegeler used a 571 in smallbore and a 567 in air rifle to finish his day at 1138.
Following the championship, multiple Skyhawks received postseason honors. Palfrey led the way by being named first-team All-OVC in smallbore, second-team All-OVC in air rifle and to the All-Newcomer teams for both smallbore and air rifle. Kovach earned a spot on the All-OVC second team for both smallbore and air rifle, while Walther was named All-OVC second team for smallbore. Liam Tegeler rounded out the honors for UT Martin by being named to the All-Newcomer smallbore team.
The Skyhawks will now have three weeks to prepare for the annual NCAA Qualifier on Feb. 22, also hosted by Murray State.
Players Mentioned
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