The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1177236
114 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State second-year rifle coach Emily Holsopple has wel- comed four freshmen, which will make up 50 percent of her roster, to her program this year. However, seniors Claire Zanti and Zach Eisenberg anchor the Wolfpack, and sopho- mores Emily Fisher and Aron Tinter will both take on key roles, especially Fisher, who led the way in the season debut victory against Virginia Military Institute Oct. 12. NC State, which went 4-6 last year, opened the season ranked No. 9 nation- ally. That standing will put the Wolfpack in contention to make the 2020 NCAA Rifle Championships (top eight reach it). "We have a young crew with four fresh- men," Holsopple said. "It's new and it's changing." Holsopple, a former nine-time All- American at Kentucky from 2010-14 who led the Wildcats to a national champion- ship, is in her second year at NC State and is trying to create a new culture for the program. She feels good about the relationships that have been built with the four returning per- formers and expects them to do their jobs. "They all have come back ready to work," Holsopple said. "They have really bought into the new system. We have a lot of excitement and drive from our fresh- man class, and it's spread across the whole team. "Everyone is buying in and wanting to work. They just want to get out there and compete and prove themselves." Seniors Zanti and Eisenberg used the offseason to fine tune their abilities. "It's the hard work that you put in on your own," Holsopple said. "It's the hard work when no one is watching. "One of them worked really hard on the mental aspect of how they approach the game. The other worked on the technical aspect of the game." Fisher posted first-place numbers in both air rifle (with a new career high) and small- bore for a 589-578 — 1,167 in the first- meet victory against VMI Oct. 12. Hol- sopple pointed out both Fisher and Tinter have made good strides over the last year. "They've become extremely good shoot- ers," Holsopple said. "I'm really excited — they are doing all the things right and putting in great work." Freshmen Addy Burrow, Aliya Butt, John Peterson and Makenzie Sheffield make up the Wolfpack's class of 2019. Sheffield and Peterson are both from Texas, while Burrow is from Georgia and Butt from Massachusetts. Burrow has made progress in small- bore after arriving primarily as an air-rifle shooter. Butt has a great passion for the sport and is methodical in her approach. Sheffield was also primarily an air-rifle shooter when she arrived at NC State but has been doing everything right to improve in smallbore. Sheffield finished fifth individu- Sophomore Emily Fisher posted first-place numbers in both air rifle (a career-high 589) and smallbore (578) in NC State's season-opening victory against VMI Oct. 12. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS RIFLE PREVIEW ■ Key Matches • At West Virginia, Nov. 17: WVU has won six NCAA titles and 10 GARC championships over the last decade. • Vs. Nebraska, Feb. 2: The Cornhuskers finished ninth in the country last year, but didn't make the NCAA Championships. From student-athletes to coaches, Ne- braska has only female performers. • GARC Championships at Memphis, Feb. 28-29: The nine-member GARC will feature top programs such as West Virginia, Kentucky, Nebraska, Army and Navy. WVU topped Nebraska last year, with NC State finishing ninth. YEAR TWO Second-Year Head Coach Emily Holsopple Is Building Her Program