Rifle: No. 1 WVU Trumps No. 18 NC State
February 14, 2009 06:15 PM | General
February 14, 2009
| #18 NC State 4524 #2 West Virginia 4639 WVU Rifle Range Morgantown, w.va |
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Match Results |
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| Stat Comparison | ||||||||
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| Air Rifle | 2290 | 2338 | ||||||
| Small Bore | 2234 | 2301 | ||||||
| Aggregate | 4524 | 4639 | ||||||
| Top WVU Shooters | ||||||||
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1 WVU rifle team defeated No. 18 NC State, 4639-4524, in an NCAA qualifying match this evening at the WVU Rifle Range.
The victory marks the Mountaineers’ (11-1 overall, 5-1 GARC) second win over the Wolfpack this season, as WVU previously defeated NCSU, 4677-4493, in Morgantown on Jan. 18. The team is now 10-0 all-time against the Wolfpack.
Today’s score is worth 50 percent of the Mountaineers’ total qualifying score for the NCAA Championships. The other half is already determined, and is based on the squad’s top three scores from this season, with each score achieved at a different venue. The top eight teams that qualify for the championships will be announced on Feb. 24.
“We got through today,” says Coach Jon Hammond. “I think we’ll be safe to qualify for the NCAA Championships, but today was certainly one of our lower team scores of the year. No one had a really bad day – everyone was just below par and struggled a bit. When everyone on the team struggles, it reflects in the score.
“It’s good to have qualifiers done with, and now we will focus on both the GARC and NCAA Championships.”
The Mountaineers defeated the Wolfpack in both smallbore (2301-2234) and air rifle (2338-2290). Additionally, the non-scoring WVU squad also outperformed NCSU, shooting 2290 in smallbore and 2324 in air rifle for a combined 4614 final score.
Sophomore Andy Lamson topped the field in disciplines, shooting 578 in smallbore and 587 in air rifle. The Colchester, Vt., native finished first overall with 1165 points.
Sophomores Brandi Eskew and Tommy Santelli finished second and third with respective 1163 and 1162 scores. Eskew matched a season high air rifle score and finished second overall with 586, while Santelli finished second in smallbore (577) and third in air rifle (585).
Noel Keck paced the Wolfpack with an 1139 score.
The Mountaineers will take the next two weeks to prepare for the GARC Championships, held Feb. 28-March 1, in Oxford, Miss. The team earned its highest finish since the 2003 season and took third place at last year’s championships with a 4626 score.
