Charleston, S.C. The Citadel Rifle fell to a tough Army and North Carolina State on Saturday in the first competition of the season at the Inouye Marksmanship Center on the McCann Memorial Electronic target and scoring systems. Leading the Bulldogs in men's air rifle was John Charlton who shot a 561, while Patricia Thibodeau led the women with 552.

The Citadel men's team totaled 2224 in air rifle and 2192 in smallbore for a combined total of 4416 for third place. Army, who was led by Beijing Olympian Steven Scherer, topped the competition with a score of 4598, followed by NC State who had a combined score of 4481. The women's team in air rifle competition scored a team total of 2155.

“The team surpassed my goal to keep it close and under 100 points against Army in air rifle and smallbore,” said The Citadel Rifle Coach Bill Smith. “The fact that NCSU only beat us by 15 points put them in striking distance.”

The Citadel will be back in action next Saturday, Oct. 11 when they host the opening of the SEARC conference competition at the Marksmanship Center. Shooting in the competition will be Clemson, North Carolina State, Augusta State, North Georgia, Mercer and Georgia Military. Results will be available online following the competition.

For more information on The Citadel Rifle or Bulldog Athletics, go to the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

The Citadel Men's Air Rifle              Team Total: 2224
John Charlton 561
Lewis. Herndon 568
Joseph Trippi 553
C. Hudock 542

The Citadel Women's Air Rifle         Team Total: 2155
Patricia Thibodeau 552
Kaitlyn Burns 542
Brandy Brown 542
J. Stern 519

The Citadel Men's Smallbore Rifle  Team Total: 2192
John Charlton 558
Lewis Herndon 545
Joseph Trippi 553
C. Hudock 542