MOREHEAD, Ky. – One of the benchmarks of a collegiate sports program is its ability to improve from year to year in every facet – athletically, scholastically and in the community. For Morehead State Rifle under head coach Alan Joseph, those improvements have been nothing short of tremendous.
 
Morehead State achieved its highest finish at the OVC Championships in program history this past year, taking second. The Eagles also earned the highest national ranking in program history during the season, soaring to 12^th. The league also took notice of Morehead State's commitment to excellence, awarding the Eagles the OVC Team Sportsmanship Award in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
 
Joseph, who has coached the Eagles since the 2014-15 season, will be leading the program to new heights for at least three more campaigns, with an extension through the 2020-21 season.
 
Not only has the team turned in school-record after school-record efforts on the range, members have shined in the classroom as well.
 
In Joseph's four seasons, 20 Eagles have earned spots on the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and more than 20 have been bestowed the Scholastic All-American accolade from the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association. Rifle also has one of the best team grade point averages among all teams since Joseph arrived, earning the highest team GPA in the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters.
 
On the range, he has awarded 11 team members a spot in the Soaring Eagles Club, which includes shooting a 580 or better score in smallbore in an NCAA event, carding a 590 or better in air rifle in competition or setting an individual school record.
 
Team-wise, MSU has improved its scoring average from year to year on both guns and overall. In smallbore, the Eagles averaged 2278.6 in Joseph's first season in 2014-15, moving up to 2282.7 just two seasons later. This past year, MSU made another 10-point jump on average to 2292.6.
 
In air rifle, Morehead State has improved by 41 points on average since 2014-15 (2291.1 to 2332.7), and the Eagles are now 55.6 points better in aggregate scoring since four years ago.
 
Individually, three seniors who concluded their careers in 2017-18 improved their averages in every scoring category all four years, including overall air and smallbore and kneeling, prone and standing smallbore. Four underclassmen (juniors or below) have achieved the same accomplishments during their time with Joseph.
 
Several MSU rifle athletes have also qualified to take part in the Junior Olympics and the USA Shooting National Championships in conjunction with USA Shooting.
 
Rifle has also made a name for itself in community service efforts. The Eagles have won the Penny Wars honor two consecutive years for raising the most amount of money to help send a veteran to the OVC Basketball Tournament – all with the fewest roster members of any team in the department.
 
Joseph came to Morehead State following a 20-plus year stint as the head coach at Xavier, coaching the Musketeers' program from its inception in 1982 until 2005. His teams finished in the NCAA final four in four straight seasons (2000-03). He coached 18 All-Americans and two Olympians at Xavier and founded the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association in 1994.