Records fell left and right as the 18th-ranked Georgia Southern rifle team put up two platinum efforts Saturday at the Inouye Marksmanship Center. The Eagles set new program records for team air rifle and aggregate scores, and posted the second-best team smallbore score, as they rolled past SoCon rival VMI but fell narrowly to No. 13 Jacksonville State.
In smallbore, the Eagles posted a 2,284 which is the second-highest total in program history. Erin Ballard bested her career high for the third straight match, this time shooting 581 to take the gold. That mark is the second-best in program history (582, Courtney Weekley) and is just the second at 580 or higher. Amy Visconti shot a 573 to place sixth, Bella Gamez tied for seventh with a 566, Kinsley Hannon finished ninth with a 564 and Ashley Judson placed 12th with a 577.
The Eagles set a new school record with a 2,337 in air rifle. Judson led the way in air rifle with a 593, her sixth score of 590+ this season. She took the silver medal for her effort. Ballard set a new career high with a 587 to place fifth while Hannon shot a 580 to place eighth. Visconti posted a 577 to place 12th and Anna Mayo shot a 576 to finish13th.
The Eagles posted a 4,621 team aggregate, besting the previous school record by eight. The squad was led in the aggregate by Ballard’s career-best 1,168 as she took the silver. Her 1,168 is tied for the sixth-best score in program history. Judson and Visconti tied for sixth with a 1,150 and Hannon placed eighth with a 1,144.
THE SCORES
#13 Jacksonville State: 4,657 (2,298 smallbore, 2,359 air rifle)
#18 Georgia Southern: 4,621 (2,284 smallbore, 2,337 air rifle)
VMI: 4,506 (2,205 smallbore, 2,301 air rifle)
THE INDIVIDUALS (Alphabetical Order)
Erin Ballard
Sophomore – Reedsville, W.Va.
Smallbore – 581 (1st; CAREER HIGH)
Air Rifle – 587 (5th; CAREER HIGH)
Aggregate – 1,168 (2nd; CAREER HIGH)
Bella Gamez
Sophomore – San Antonio, Texas
Smallbore – 566 (T-7th)
Kinsley Hannon
Sophomore – Newnan, Ga.
Smallbore – 564 (9th)
Air Rifle – 580 (8th)
Aggregate – 1,144 (8th)
Ashley Judson
Junior – Acworth, Ga.
Smallbore – 557 (12th)
Air Rifle – 593 (2nd)
Aggregate – 1,150 (T-6th)
Anna Mayo
Sophomore – Lawrenceville, Ga.
Air Rifle – 576 (13th)
Amy Visconti
Sophomore – Champlain, N.Y.
Smallbore – 573 (6th)
Air Rifle – 577 (12th)
Aggregate – 1,150 (T-6th; T-CAREER HIGH)
Up Next: Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 – 8 a.m. – vs. Wofford – Statesboro
