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Collegiate sports saw a first in 2010 as the winner of the NCAA rifle championship was an all-women team from Texas Christian University (TCU). The rifle competition, which is comprised of airgun, smallbore and individual events, is one of only a handful of NCAA sports in which male and female athletes compete directly against each other. The TCU squad made its first appearance in the NCAA championships in 2007. This year, TCU took the air rifle portion of the team event and placed second in smallbore to the Alaska-Fairbanks' Nanooks. The TCU Horned Frogs also took the individual smallbore title, with freshman Sarah Scherer finishing first. Alaska's Patrik Sartz was second in that event. Scherer, Sartz and Chris Burleson of Navy were tied after the first round. Scherer fired a 102.0 in the final round. TCU senior Erin Lorenzen finished second in the individual air rifle event, behind Jonathan Hall of Columbus State. Five members of the TCU rifle team were also named to the NCAA All-American Rifle Team. In addition to Lorenzen and Scherer, freshmen Sarah Beard and Caitlin Morrissey and senior Simone Riford were also named to the squad.
TCU's last NCAA victory was in women's golf in 1983. The school also took two football titles in the 1930s. The TCU rifle team joins an impressive list of "women of arms" who have shattered the glass ceiling, including Annie Oakley, Plinky Topperwein, Margaret Murdock and Nancy Tompkins-Gallagher. For more information on the athletes of the TCU Rifle Team, you can visit the college's team website-gofrogs.cstv.com. |
By
Peggy Tartaro,
The TCU
team is coached by Karen Monez, well known in shooting circles
for decades. In addition to numerous titles in rifle, including
World Cup and Camp Perry victories, Monez is also an active-and
winning-Cowboy Action shooter. Monez took on the TCU coaching
assignment six years ago and has taken the team to the championships
three previous times. Monez was profiled in the Mar/Apr 2009
issue of Women & Guns.
