RENO, Nev. – The 17th ranked University of Nevada rifle team will travel to Fairbanks, Alaska this week to compete in the Patriot Rifle Conference Championships on Friday and Saturday.  Thursday the Wolf Pack will compete against No. 18 UTEP prior to the championships.
 
"Our matches in Alaska are particularly special for us," head coach Fred Harvey said.  "They are the last regular season matches we will ever shoot. They are the last matches we will shoot in Alaska. We want to make them truly memorable."
 
 The PRC event will included six teams ranked the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association top 20 and three appear in the top 10 led by No. 1 TCU.  Air Force is fourth and Alaska sixth followed by No. 14 Ohio State.  Nevada is 17th and UTEP 18th.  The smallbore competition will be held Saturday and the air rifle on Sunday at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range starting at 10 a.m. PT both days.
 
The Pack will be led by senior Mitchell Van Patten an All-PRC selection last season.  Van Patten has posted the top air rifle (595), smallbore (586) and aggregate (1181) which combines the two events. 
 
Junior Rachel Benesh has the second best smallbore score on the team with a 576 and her 1163 aggregate is tied with freshman Andrew Pham.  Her 587 air rile score is third. 
 
Pham's 589 in air rifle ranks second on the squad and his 574 in smallbore is tied for fourth on the team.
 
Sophomore Nadine Ahola appears in the Pack's top five scores with a 574 in smallbore tied for fourth and her 1156 aggregate is fourth while her 583 in air rifle is fifth.   Freshman Alec Patajo has posted of scores of 579 in air rifle, 571 in smallbore and 1150 aggregate.
 
Returning for his second match of the season after a shoulder injury is veteran junior Eli Larimer.  Larimer's only competition this season was in the Pack's win over Alaska when he shot 565 in smallbore and 581 in air rifle to combined for a 1146 aggregate.