The Pack rifle team knows the odds are stacked against it to repeat as SEARC champion for the fifth straight year. After what head coach Keith Miller called a “rebuilding year”, the Pack currently sits in second place, well behind surging conference foe The Citadel.

Though State has dominated the SEARC for the majority of the past decade, this year’s team has been crippled by injuries and unexpected slumps.

“It’s going to be tough to come away with this with a win,” sophomore William Teller said. “It’s not impossible, but we’ve dug our hole, and it’s going to be tough to make up for our earlier mistakes.”

In order to prepare for the tough task ahead, Miller and assistant coach Jennifer Marshall decided to shake up a regularly-scheduled practice on Tuesday night. Instead of rehearsing a normal qualifying round, the coaches simulated a final round for the Pack’s five top shooters.

Marshall walked down the line, alerting the shooters when their time window of 1:45 for each shot began and ended, while tabulating each shooter’s score. With only ten shots each, the Pack athletes had to make each one count.

“We want them to be comfortable with the way it’s run, because it’s run differently from the normal matches,” Marshall said.”

This weekend, Teller and fellow sophomore Bryan Cross will be neck-in-neck for the top spot in the finals, while freshman Maddy Pike’s qualifying performance will determine whether she is seeded from sixth through eighth.

In addition to the more controlled pace, scores are frequently announced, so anyone who is able to do the math in their head can figure out how close they are to the competition.

Miller said he wanted to get his underclassmen ready for the nerve-wracking experience.

“You’re not in your own rhythm, you’re in an externally-applied one,” Miller said. “If it doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t matter, because you have to shoot right now.”

According to Teller, all the practice in the world can’t prepare you for the toughest conditions in this cerebral sport.

“It doesn’t really simulate the nerves you’re going to have. Just thinking about it right now, I know my heart’s going to be racing,” Teller said. “It always does.”

The Wolfpack rifle team will travel to Anniston, Ala., aiming to defend its title at the SEARC Championships tomorrow.