No. 3 WVU Rifle Returns to NCAA Championships
March 12, 2009 11:20 AM | General
March 12, 2009
WVU at NCAA Championships
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| Bryant Wallizer |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following its second-place finish at the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships on March 1, the No. 3 West Virginia University rifle team makes its repeat appearance at the NCAA Championships this Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, in Fort Worth, Texas, at the TCU Rifle Range and the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
The Mountaineers enter this weekend’s championships as the winningest team in NCAA history, having won 13 titles from 1983-1998. Only three-time defending champion Alaska-Fairbanks has won at least 10 titles, having won its 10th last year.
WVU returns to the championships after finishing in sixth place at last year’s tournament. It was the team’s first appearance at the event since 2002.
“I hope returning to the championships will be a big advantage for us,” Coach Jon Hammond says. “I think this whole season’s experience will help the team also. Ultimately, I think having that championship experience will make all of the difference this year.”
Three of the Mountaineers’ sophomore smallbore All-Americans make their return trip to the NCAA Championships – Tommy Santelli, Andy Lamson and Kyle Smith. Joining them will be redshirt junior Bryant Wallizer and freshman Michael Kulbacki.
Santelli returns to the range after finishing first overall at the GARC Championships with a score of 1169 (591 air rifle, 578 smallbore). The Prosperity, Pa., native finished second in air rifle with a score of 693.8, and fifth in smallbore with a score of 674.5.
Santelli led three Mountaineers in the air rifle finals at the conference championships, as Wallizer took third with a score of 692.3, while Kulbacki earned an eighth-place finish with a score of 686.6.
Additionally, Smith finished behind Santelli in the smallbore finals, earning a score of 671.7 and taking seventh place.
Lamson returns to the championship having already gained finals experience, as the Colchester, Vt., native finished seventh in smallbore last season with a score of 674.1.
Having earned its first No. 1 ranking in a decade this season, and defeating each of its opponents but the 2009 GARC Champion, No. 1 Kentucky, Hammond believes his squad is prepared for the challenge of this weekend’s championships.
“I think the team definitely has the confidence and the belief that it can go and win the title,” Hammond says. “They just have to go out there and treat the championships like any other match, and shoot every shot high-focused, high-concentration, and forget about all other distractions.
“I think there is definitely a rivalry with Kentucky that will carry over into this weekend. I think all of these factors will make this a really exciting championship.”
Friday’s smallbore competition will begin at 9 a.m. EST at the TCU Rifle Range. Saturday’s air rifle competition will begin at 10 a.m. EST at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
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