CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel's co-ed rifle team finished fourth in the Southern Conference Championship held Saturday and Sunday inside the Inouye Marksmanship Center.
 
Head coach William Smith, who is one of six nominees for the national Coach of the Year award presented by the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association, was voted the Southern Conference Coach of the Year by the conference's coaches. Sophomore Allison Auten earned second-team All-Southern Conference accolades in air rifle.
 
"I was surprised that we scored so much lower than our season averages, and I believe I failed to assess the impact of hosting a meet this size on the performance of our cadet-athletes," head coach William Smith said. "Every time we shoot, it's a learning experience and this is another lesson learned. It was an honor to host the first championship with the return of the Southern Conference, and it was also a point of pride for our alumni. I'm looking forward to growing the sport within the conference as we continue to be proud members of the SoCon."
 
Auten led the Bulldogs in both air rifle and smallbore competitions with 574 points in air rifle and 555 points in smallbore. The Abbeville, South Carolina, native's air rifle score was good for 10th place and the second-team All-Southern Conference recognition, and her smallbore score placed 12th overall.
 
Senior Richie Parra and junior Morgan Long finished 15th and 16th in air rifle with scores of 571 and 570, respectively. Long also registered a top-20 finish in smallbore courtesy of a 19th-place, 545-point effort. Junior Colton Poole scored 551 points in smallbore to finish 16th and placed 20th in air rifle with a score of 568.
 
Freshman Faith Totherow recorded the top score on the women's team in both disciplines. The Aiken, South Carolina, native scored 564 points to take 21st in air rifle and put together a 541-point smallbore effort that placed 22nd. Fellow freshman Alexander McAlear scored 540 points to take 23rd overall in smallbore and placed 25th overall in air rifle with 558 points.
 
Junior Carli Cline finished 25th in smallbore after scoring 536 points and scored 545 in air rifle. Classmate Raven Wills scored 535 points in smallbore for 27th place and registered 541 points in air rifle. Senior Patrick Meyer contested only smallbore and scored 534 points. Sophomore Brandi Duzz placed 27th in air rifle with 555 points and scored 527 in smallbore. Fellow sophomore Leah Fenwrick-Wallace posted scores of 550 in air rifle and 519 in smallbore.
 
North Georgia won the team competition with 4,564 aggregate points. The VMI men's team took second with 4,513 points, and Georgia Southern scored 4,497 points to finish third overall. The Citadel co-ed team scored 4,474 for fourth place ahead of the VMI women's team in fifth with 4,404 and UAB in sixth with 4,362 points. The Citadel women's team totaled 4,353 for seventh place, and Wofford was the eighth-place team after scoring 4,350 points.
 
For more information on The Citadel rifle, follow @CitadelOlympic or visit CitadelSports.com.