As the Kentucky rifle team prepares for the new season, head coach Harry Mullins, whose 36-year tenure makes him the longest-tenured UK head coach, looks to produce another successful year.
The head coach has led the team to numerous national championships, including back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, a feat not achieved by any UK sports program since the 1940s.
Mullins, a four-time Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) Coach of the Year, utilizes a philosophy that is centered around growth, both in terms of score and performance.
“I think if we do (things) at the right pace and at the right level with the talent level that we have, then hopefully we can (accomplish our goals),” he said. “We can have success on the podium, but growth (is) the main focus.”
As the team prepares for its first match of the season, Mullins emphasized the importance of trying to figure out what the team’s range of highs and lows are.
“A successful Saturday for (the match against Morehead State) would be avoiding some of the hiccups that we’ve seen in training until now,” Mullins said. “If that yields some good numbers, then that’s awesome. If it doesn’t, we have to be patient with that.”
Opening the season at home this Saturday, many fans unfamiliar with the sport may anticipate a form of “home-field advantage,” but for Mullins, he believes it is more of a coach’s philosophy, where distractions can be a major factor.
“When we travel, we do things as a group, we have dinner, we have a team meeting,” he said. “When we’re at home, we try to do some things as a group, but, obviously, you stay in your own apartments. You’ve got distractions, that’s roommates, dogs, cats, neighbors… so really, it’s how you interpret all that.”
Regardless of these challenges, Mullins is confident in his team’s abilities despite the season opener seeing the addition of four new freshmen.
“They’ll have the opportunity to show what they have,” Mullins said. “I hope that they all get huge numbers, but, again, it’s more of a pressure cooker of really wanting to perform at a high level.”
As far as development goes, few are better than Mullins, who has coached numerous Olympic athletes including Will Shaner, Nancy Napolski (Johnson) and Henri Junghänel.
“It’s pretty cool,” Mullins said of coaching the stars. “I mean, just yesterday we had Braden Peiser, who won a bronze medal in the Junior World Championships, and he was on the team that won a silver medal. It’s cool that people are choosing this program to pursue their dreams, their dreams and goals.”
As the team looks to the future, Mullins remains committed to his coaching philosophy and his focus on growth and development. With a legacy of excellence in rifle shooting himself as well, Mullins is poised to continue leading the Kentucky rifle team to success for years to come.
Kentucky rifle will begin its season on Saturday, Oct. 5, against Morehead State at 9 a.m. ET at the UK Rifle Range located in Barker Hall.
