Akron Rifle Releases Official 2019-20 Schedule

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2019 AKRON RIFLE SCHEDULE

AKRON, Ohio — Akron rifle looks to continue its success in the range as they officially released their schedule for the upcoming 2019-20 season, under the direction of head coach Newt Engle.

Engle believes his team made great strides last season and will continue to do so this upcoming season.

"Last season the team kept doing a little better at almost every match. This is especially true for the last half of the season. To keep the trend going, the team is reporting to school early to attend a pre-season clinic. It is my belief the team this season will continue to re-write the record book when they hit the ranges running full speed this fall."

Akron returns 14 members from last year's squad. Three newcomers, including Freshmen Garrett Cooper (Covington, La.), Brendan Seitz (Milford, Ma.), Katherine Paltz (Edison, N.J) round out the 2019-20 roster.

"All three have considerable experience and come from junior programs famous for starting the careers of past Olympians. The nice thing about talented freshmen is they tend to have a positive influence on the returning people who certainly want to stay ranked ahead of the newbies. Sort of a win-win for everyone."

The Zips are coming off a season which saw both team and individual success, including firing a new program best score of 4,666 against then defending champs, Kentucky.

Akron also shot well at the 2019 Great America Rifle Conference Championships, shooting a final score of 4655, good enough for a fourth-place finish.

"I have high expectations to increase our standings in the Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) as well as attend the NCAA championships as a team. But what really gets me excited is we have a group of seasoned veterans returning this year who know they have what it takes to make our dreams come true."

Sophomore Andre Gross (Webster, N.Y.) looks to continue his dominance in the range, as he quietly began to make his mark on the program as a freshman last season, finishing second in the smallbore competition at the 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships with a 586, setting a new program record in that portion of the competition. Additionally, he competed in the USA Shooting National Championships in Fort Benning, Georgia, finishing 12^th overall, topping some of the best in the nation including former Olympians.

The Zips open their season on Friday, Sept. 21 competing in the annual Zippy Open.

Players Mentioned

Garrett Cooper

Andre Gross

Katie Paltz

Brendan Seitz

The University of Akron Athletics