Thrasher Named Student-Athlete of the Week

October 23, 2017 02:17 PM | General, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Cross Country, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling

10_23 _17 VSR

By: WVU Athletic Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - After leading the No. 1-ranked rifle team to an NCAA record air rifle mark, junior Ginny Thrasher has been named the West Virginia University Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

Thrasher and the Mountaineers set an NCAA record for the second time in two matches, shooting 2392 air rifle in a 4739-4647 win over Ole Miss on Oct. 21, at the WVU Rifle Range. The Springfield, Virginia, native shot a career-high matching score of 599 and finished first in the discipline.

Thrasher also won smallbore with a 590 mark, helping WVU finish the day with a season-best 2347 total. Included in her day was a school-record 200 prone mark.

This Week in Women's Soccer: The No. 6-ranked Mountaineers (13-3-1, 6-1-1) close their regular-season slate at Kansas on Friday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Women's Soccer: WVU went 1-0-1 in two Big 12 Conference matches at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … the Mountaineers settled for a 1-1 (2OT) draw against Texas Tech on Thursday, and cruised to a 2-0 win over TCU on Sunday … three seniors tallied WVU's scores this week … defender Amandine Pierre-Louis scored Thursday evening with 54 seconds remaining in the first half … TTU evened the score in the 61st minute … the Mountaineers finished with a 35-11 edge in shots and a 12-1 advantage in corner kicks … sophomore Rylee Foster made two second-half saves, and TTU finished with eight stops … on Sunday, midfielder Alli Magaletta put the Mountaineers ahead for good in the 31st minute on a header off the team's fourth corner kick of the match … forward Michaela Abam added an insurance goal on a penalty kick in the 71st minute … WVU finished with a 16-3 edge in shots and denied TCU a shot on-goal … the Mountaineers placed six of their shots on-frame … WVU also earned a 10-3 edge in corner kicks.

Notes: WVU is now unbeaten in its last 39 conference home matches, the third-longest active streak nationally, and has not lost at home to a league foe since 2009 … the Mountaineers have denied five opponents a shot on-goal this season … TCU entered Sunday's match ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference with a 1.75 goals/game average … Sunday's shutout was WVU's 10th of the year, with nine credited to Foster … Abam's goal was the 38th of her career, and she moved into a tie with Frances Silva (2010-13) for fourth place in the Mountaineer record book … she continues to rank No. 6 with 92 career points … Magaletta's game-winner was her second of the season … all but one of her six career goals have been game-winners … junior defender Bianca St. Georges assisted on Pierre-Louis and Magalatta's scores … Magaletta also assisted on Pierre-Louis' goal … Abam paces the Mountaineers with 15 points (6 G, 3 A) … WVU enters its regular-season finale in second place in the Big 12 Conference with 19 points … Oklahoma State sits in first place with 21 points … OSU concludes its regular season at No. 10 Texas on Friday.

This Week in Men's Soccer: West Virginia closes its home slate with a pair of matches this week … the Mountaineers host Penn on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m., before welcoming No. 9 Akron to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. for a Senior Night matchup … tickets are available for both games at WVUGAME.com, 1-800-WVU GAME or on game day at the DDSS ticket office … Tuesday is Boy Scouts Night, and all Boy Scouts in attendance will receive discounted admission when wearing their badges, and it is Taco Tuesday, with walking tacos available at the concession stand … Friday's match is a Dollar Night, with tickets and select concession items available for just $1 … WVU's senior class will also be recognized before the game.

Last Week in Men's Soccer: In a battle of top-15 teams, No. 15 West Virginia suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 8 Western Michigan in overtime on Friday night … the Mountaineers and Broncos played an even match for more than 90 minutes before a foul was called on WVU just outside the box, and WMU scored the game's only goal on the ensuing free kick in the 96th minute … West Virginia and Western Michigan had five shots and two shots on goal in the contest … freshman keeper Steven Tekesky made one save for WVU, while Drew Shepherd had two stops for the visitors … the Mountaineers held a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Notes: West Virginia is 7-4-4 on the season and in fourth place in the Mid-American Conference with an 0-1-2 record … the Mountaineers were ranked No. 15 in last week's Soccer America poll and No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches regional rankings … West Virginia's eight shutouts rank No. 13 nationally and second in the MAC … senior Jad Arslan ranks No. 25 nationally with three game-winning goals … prior to Friday night's match against No. 9 Akron, West Virginia will honor its senior class: Jad Arslan, Heath Honold, Steven James, Jose Santos and Louis Thomas … the game will be WVU's third against a top-10 foe at home in its last four matches.

This Week in Volleyball: West Virginia (14-7, 3-5) will swing through Texas for a pair of Big 12 matches this week … the Mountaineers will square off against TCU (9-11, 1-7) in Fort Worth on Thursday, Oct. 26, in an 8 p.m. ET league tilt … on Saturday, WVU will take on No. 3 Texas (16-2, 8-0) at 8 p.m. ET inside the Gregory Gymnasium in Austin … Saturday's contest will be streamed live on the Longhorn Network through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Last Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers claimed their third Big 12 Conference win of the season, going 1-1 in Big 12 action last week … WVU suffered a 3-1 loss at Iowa State on Wednesday evening at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa … the Cyclones took the match from the Mountaineers in set scores of 25-18, 25-18, 24-26 and 25-11 … West Virginia then returned home on Saturday, besting Kansas State in a five-set thriller inside the WVU Coliseum …the Mountaineers took the Big 12 win over the Wildcats in set scores of 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 19-25 and 15-11 … West Virginia finished the week hitting .128 with 110 kills and nine team blocks … sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey hit .253 on the week and had a team-high 38 kills … senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan added 20, while sophomore right side hitter Natania Levak and senior outside hitter Morgan Montgomery rounded out the Mountaineers in double-digit kills with 18 and 15, respectively … senior setter Emma Anderson also had 53 assists, splitting time at setter with sophomore Erin Slinde, who dished out 35 … in addition, senior libero Ginanna Gotterba had a team-high 37 digs on the week, followed by Caffrey with 19.

Notes: WVU currently sits in fifth in the Big 12 standings … on Saturday, the Mountaineers defeated the Wildcats for the first time since Nov. 29, 2014, when West Virginia claimed a five-set win over K-State in Manhattan for its first-ever win over a top-25 RPI program … through 21 matches, Caffrey leads the Mountaineers in kills with 254, Slinde leads in assists with 724, freshman defensive specialist Alexa Hasting leads in digs with 246, and Swanegan leads in blocking at 84.0 … Caffrey also leads the squad with 33 service aces on the year … as a team, West Virginia is hitting .225 and holding its opponents to a .176 clip, while out blocking its opponents, 174.5-166.0 … the Mountaineers opened league play with a 3-1 win over the Horned Frogs inside the WVU Coliseum on Sept. 20, tying the team's longest win streak since 2014 … WVU eventually snapped its 10-match streak, dropping a five-set heartbreaker to then-No. 6 Texas in Morgantown on Sept. 23 … Caffrey continues to lead the Big 12 with 0.43 service aces per set and ranks inside the top 10 in points (seventh) and kills (eighth) … additionally, Slinde sits inside the top five in service aces (fourth) and assists (fifth) … the sophomore setter averages 0.27 service aces and 9.92 assists per set … freshman defensive specialist Lindsay Proctor also ranks eighth in service aces, averaging 0.23 per set … Swanegan ranks sixth in the league with 1.12 blocks per set, and Hasting ranks ninth with 3.32 digs per set.

Coach Reed Sunahara after last Saturday's match vs. Kansas State: "I think we played well enough to win when it counted. They are good. Kansas State is a very good team. They have good pieces, and I thought we were lucky to get a win today. It doesn't help when you have 38 hitting errors, but we dug deep when it counted, and we got the job done."

This Week in Cross Country: The Mountaineers are traveling to Round Rock, Texas, to compete in the 2017 Big 12 Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. ET.

Last Week in Cross Country: WVU was off last week.

Notes: The Big 12 Championship will be raced at Old Settlers Park for the first time in conference history … Saturday is the first time WVU will race at the venue in program history … the Mountaineers finished third at the conference meet last year in Lubbock, Texas … runners who finish in the top 15 of the 6k race are named to the All-Big 12 Team … redshirt senior Jillian Forsey was the Mountaineers' lone All-Big 12 performer in 2016 after finishing second overall … WVU last raced on Oct. 13, earning an eighth-place team finish at the Penn State National Open … the Mountaineers were slotted fifth in the USTFCCCA's Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings last week … Saturday's Big 12 Championship will be live streamed on FloTrack.com … to access live streaming coverage of the event replays and more, fans can sign up to become a subscriber to FloTrack by visiting FloSports.tv.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 2-ranked Mountaineers do not compete this week.

Last Week in Rifle: WVU (4-0, 3-0 GARC) earned a 4739-4647 win over Ole Miss at the WVU Rifle Range on Oct. 20 … for the second time this season, the Mountaineers shot an NCAA air rifle record, finishing with a winning 2392 score … WVU also won smallbore with a season-best 2347 mark … the Rebels finished with marks of 2364 air rifle and 2283 smallbore … junior Ginny Thrasher swept the competition, shooting a season best in both disciplines … Thrasher won air rifle with a career-best matching score of 599 (100-100-100-100-100-99) and also shot 590 (193 kneeling, 200 prone, 197 standing) ... included in her day was a school-record 200 prone.

Notes: WVU previously shot a 2390 air rifle on Sept. 30 … the team's aggregate total was its highest since shooting an NCAA-record 4740 mark in a win over Akron on Jan. 17, 2016, at the WVU Rifle Range … senior Elizabeth Gratz and sophomore Milica Babic tied for second in air rifle with season-high 598 marks … redshirt-freshman David Koenders matched his air rifle career high of 597, and freshman Sarah Osborn shot a career-best 583 … sophomore Morgan Phillips finished second in smallbore with a season-best 588.

This Week in Golf: The Mountaineers continue to co-host the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational Sunday through Tuesday at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Florida … WVU is joined by UCF in hosting the event … Arizona, No. 17/21 Cal, No. 36 Illinois, No. 26 Arizona State, Augusta, No. 13/12 Texas Tech, No. 11/10 Florida, North Texas, No. 9/10 Vanderbilt, Purdue, No. 20 North Carolina, No. 35 North Florida, UAB, No. 7/12 LSU and No. 6/8 Auburn are slated to join the Mountaineers and the Knights at the event (Rankings via Golfstat/Golfweek) … Max Sear, Philipp Matlari, Etienne Papineau, Tristan Nicholls and Matthew Sharpstene make up the scoring lineup for WVU … Avery Schneider, Drew Dewald, Mark Goetz and Logan Perkins will play as individuals … golfers will play one round each day for a total of 54 holes.

Last Week in Golf: WVU started play at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational … the Mountaineers are co-hosting the event with UCF at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Florida … Max Sear is currently tied for 11th at one under par with a 72 … Etienne Papineau is tied for 22nd place at even par with a 22 … the Mountaineers are 15th and will be paired with No. 26 Arizona State and No. 45 Central Florida in the second round … tee times for WVU start at 9:45 a.m. on Monday.

Notes: First played in 2003, the tournament is referred to as "college golf's major championship" and consistently boasts a field of the nation's top programs … the field consists of 11 top-100 teams, seven of which rank in the top 25 … there are 17 golfers ranked inside Golfstats Top-100 … Sear currently sits ahead of 15 of them … Papineau leads the Mountaineers with a 70.83 stroke average at -1.17 vs. par … he tied for the runner-up spot at The Health Plan Invite, shooting a career-low 211 for five under par … Sear is a close second, averaging 71.17 per round, while Nicholls averages an even-par 72.00 … all five starters have averaged 73.00 or better through two tournaments this fall … Schneider tied a program record with a 66 in the second round of The Health Plan Invitational, while Sear shot a 66 for the third time in his career … Perkins made his career debut for the Mountaineers, shooting a 69 in the third round while playing as an individual.

Coach Sean Covich after Sunday's first round at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational: "I think we played well enough to win when it counted. They are good. Kansas State is a very good team. They have good pieces, and I thought we were lucky to get a win today. It doesn't help when you have 38 hitting errors, but we dug deep when it counted, and we got the job done."

This Week in Swimming & Diving: West Virginia hosts Seton Hall and Xavier in a two-day tri-meet on Oct. 27-28 at the WVU Natatorium ... friday's events begin at 6 p.m. ET, while Saturday's action gets underway at 10 a.m.

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: WVU was off last week.

Notes: Friday marks the third consecutive year the Mountaineers will host Seton Hall and Xavier … the men's team defeated Seton Hall, 204-157, last season, and knocked off Xavier, 221-133 … the WVU women also earned two victories at last year's meeting against the two Big East opponents, topping Seton Hall, 228-128, and Xavier, 206-144 … the Mountaineers swept the Big 12's bi-weekly awards on Oct. 19, the second time in program history the team has accomplished the feat … redshirt senior Nate Carr was named the Big 12 Men's Swimmer of the Week after he won eight events and set two pool records (200 individual medley, 800 freestyle relay) at the West Virginia State Games … sophomore Morgan Bullock was named the Big 12 Women's Swimmer of the Week after she won seven events at the West Virginia State Games, including a pool-record performance in the 200 individual medley … senior Logan McHenry was named the Big 12 Men's Diver of the Week after his victories on the 1- and 3-meter dives at the West Virginia State Games, while junior Julia Calcut was the Big 12 Women's Diver of the Week after she won the 1-meter dive at the West Virginia State Games … in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, WVU swimmers will wear pink caps this weekend … additionally, representatives from the WVU Medicine Cancer Institute will be collecting donations for its pink shirts benefiting its breast cancer program during the meet.

This Week in Rowing: West Virginia is off this week ... up next, the novice squad travels to the Head of the Occoquan in Fairfax Station, Virginia, on Saturday, Nov. 4 ... the fall season for both the novice and varsity rowers conclude in Pittsburgh at Duquesne on Saturday, Nov. 11.

Last Week in Rowing: West Virginia held its final home scrimmage of the season on Saturday morning, racing against Robert Morris on the Monongahela River ... the Mountaineers and Colonials competed in two rounds of exhibition races on a picture-perfect fall Saturday in Morgantown ... in the first set, which featured a WVU's varsity eight and varsity four, West Virginia and Robert Morris completed four eight-minute pace pieces ... after a brief break, WVU raced against RMU in fours and did two four-minute pieces in front of the WVU Boathouse.

Coach Jimmy King after Saturday's scrimmage against Robert Morris: "I was happy to see that aspects of rhythm and boat feel that we've been working on in training were maintained by our crews in a racing environment. The competitive environment provided by Robert Morris helped us identify some things we're doing well and things we definitely need to improve."

This Week in Tennis: West Virginia is off this week ... WVU will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Louisville Tennis Classic on Nov. 3-5 ... the Mountaineers will face Ball State, Louisville and Michigan State over the course of the three-day tournament.

Last Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers hosted the Martha Thorn Invitational on Oct. 20-22 … WVU faced James Madison and Miami (Ohio) in the three-day tournament … over the course of the weekend, WVU registered 12 total victories in singles and five in doubles play ... freshman Giovanna Caputo led the Mountaineers with three singles wins ... the tandem of Caputo and Lyn Yuen Choo went 3-1 in doubles action on the weekend ... in all, the three teams joined together to raise over six hundred dollars to support the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund.

Notes: The 2017 Martha Thorn Invitational marked the third time WVU has hosted the tournament under Miha Lisac ... ... Caputo, Lyn Yuen Choo and Paula Goetz have each registered a team-high six singles wins this fall ... the tandem of Caputo and Choo also lead the Mountaineers with a 4-1 record in doubles action ... Caputo has picked up seven wins in doubles play with three different teammates this fall, leading WVU.

This Week in Wrestling: WVU plays host to its Gold-Blue match on Friday, Oct. 27, in Morgantown … the match is set to begin at 5 p.m. inside the Shell Building … West Virginia then opens the 2017-18 season on Friday, Nov. 3, as the squad heads to Clarion, Pennsylvania, for a neutral site match with Big 12 foe Utah Valley … the match is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET … the Mountaineers will remain in Pennsylvania for the Clarion Open on Sunday, Nov. 5, starting at 8 a.m. ET.

Last Week in Wrestling: WVU finished the 2016-17 season with a 4-13 record and a 1-3 mark against Big 12 opponents … of note, the Mountaineers won their first Big 12 match in program history last season, as now-sophomore heavyweight Brandon Ngati pinned Iowa State's Joe Scanlan in the final bout of the day to claim a thrilling comeback win over the Cyclones, 22-20, on Feb. 12 inside the WVU Coliseum … Dylan Cottrell also became the first ever WVU wrestler to win a Big 12 title, as he defeated Oklahoma State's Chandler Rogers in the 165-pound finals of the 2017 Big 12 Wrestling Championship at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 5 … additionally, he was the only Mountaineer to compete at the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis and capped his collegiate career in the third round of the consolation bracket.

Notes: Senior Jacob A. Smith and junior Zeke Moisey will start the season nationally ranked by a trio of media outlets, appearing in the top 10 of their respective weight classes … Smith appears at No. 6 according to FloWrestling and is ranked seventh via Intermat and Open Mat at 197 pounds … Moisey is ranked No. 8 at his weight of 125 pounds in both Intermat and Open Mat preseason polls ... he also is seventh according to FloWrestling … in addition, West Virginia enters the season ranked No. 18 in the nation in Open Mat's preseason Tournament Power Index (TPI) … the Mountaineers also check in at No. 25 via Intermat's preseason TPI and FloWrestling.