With the Southeastern Air Rifle Conference Championships a little more than a week away, the N.C. State rifle team has its last tune up Monday at the Triangle Shoot Out.

The Triangle Shoot Out, which the Wolfpack host, is in its fourth year of operation, according to assistant coach Chris Gardner. The event will take place at Reynolds Coliseum in the basement.

The North Carolina club team will participate, and the event has drawn interest from Duke. Gardner said he hopes both can participate, but the event is really trying to get more schools interested in the sport.

“This is more of a community outreach type match,” Gardner said. “We are trying to create more interest in the shooting sports. It is getting better, but the ultimate goal is to get an ACC conference together. It takes baby steps, and this Shoot Out can only help.”

Jennifer Marshall, a junior from Cary, said the match helps prepare the team for next week.

“I consider this match a good warm-up for the SEARC Championships, which is a week after this match,” Marshall said. “It’s good for us because it’s good match pressure. The more matches you can shoot in, the better prepared you become for the big matches.”

Marshall said she looks forward to competing against the Tar Heels. She said in rifle competitions, the participants get to know each other because they’re around each other so often.

However, she said it’s disappointing they only get to see UNC once during the season.

“We only get to see Carolina about once a year,” she said. “We try to help them out a lot because they only have a club team right now. It’s fun going against them.”

Noel Keck, a freshman who will participate in her first Triangle Shoot Out, said she is excited about being able to go against the Heels.

“It will be my first time going against UNC,” Keck said. “I hear about them all the time being that I go to State. But I will get to see their team for the first time during this match.”

Being Keck’s first year on the rifle team, she said the tune-ups, like the Triangle Shoot Out, help her for the more important matches later in the season.

“It gives us more practice, more experience and more learning,” Keck said. “This helps with the learning process — especially for freshmen like me, so we can get in as many matches as possible.”

Keck is hoping to build on her strong performance as of late. She had a career high with a score of 560 at the Collegiate Sectionals on Feb. 11.

“This takes so much time and practice,” Keck said. “It is so mental, and it takes so much concentration. With it being this late in the season, I can hopefully put all of that together for the match Monday.”

Gardner said the team started to come together at the perfect time in the season.

“Last week everyone had a good showing,” Gardner said. “We are looking to push the scores up again. The last couple of matches have been mediocre showings for us, but we are getting back on track and putting up some good scores again.”

Marshall said she is expecting the best from everyone on Monday.

“Everyone did really well last week,” Marshall said. “I’m looking for everyone to perform the way that we know we can.”