Stankey Advances To NCAA Championships

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss sophomore Keely Stankey has advanced to the NCAA Rifle Championships as an individual it was announced on Tuesday. Stankey will compete in both the air rifle and smallbore competitions beginning on March 12 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Stankey, who earned honorable mention All-GARC honors this season, led the Rebels with a 584 season average in the air and a 573.2 average in the smallbore. She also set career highs of 594 in the air and 581 in the smallbore this season.

"I am very excited that we will once again be represented at the NCAA Championships," said Ole Miss head coach Valerie Boothe. "This is a great reward for Keely and I'm glad all of her hard work has paid off."

The NCAA Championships have a maximum 48 competitors. The eights teams that qualify can either be 4 or 5 person teams. If every team uses their maximum, it takes up 40 of the 48 spots, leaving 8 spots for the individuals. Individuals are selected based on their score during the designated qualifier from highest to lowest. Once the qualifying teams are determined, all of the individuals who contributed to getting their team to the championship are taken out of the mix making up the first 40 or less slots. Then the top individuals will fill up the remaining slots. In even numbered years the advantage goes to the smallbore discipline and in odd numbered years the advantage goes to the air discipline. The first individual slot goes to the top air rifle score for the 2010 Championships. Individuals are selected alternating between the two disciplines until all 48 slots are filled.

Texas Christian University will host the championships, which will be held March 12-13 in Fort Worth, Texas at the TCU Rifle Range and the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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