LIVE STATS


MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 3-ranked West Virginia University rifle team welcomes VMI to the WVU Rifle Range for an NCAA qualifying match on Saturday, Feb. 18. The shoulder-to-shoulder contest is set to begin at 8 a.m.

The Mountaineers (10-2, 4-1 GARC) return to the range after a two-week break. The squad ended the regular season with a 1-1 showing against No. 2 Kentucky and NC State, losing 4680-4650 to the Wildcats on Feb. 3, and defeating the Wolfpack, 4647-4577, on Feb. 5.

With its wins over WVU and NCSU (4674-4591), UK, the reigning national champion, earned the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season title.

“It was good for us to get that week away from competition,” says coach Jon Hammond. “We were able to tinker around with techniques and prepare ourselves for a strong push through the postseason.”

The Mountaineers are 23-3 all-time against VMI. WVU earned a 4647-4398 victory over the Keydets in a 2008 NCAA qualifying match.

Tomorrow’s team score will count toward 50 percent of WVU’s final qualification score for the 2012 NCAA Championships. The remaining half is based on the Mountaineers’ three-match season average of 4680.67.

“We have to shoot our best tomorrow to ensure we qualify for the national championships,” explains Hammond. “Not only are we looking for a high score, we’re also looking forward to one final home match with our seniors, Michael Kulbacki and Justin Pentz. We’ve shot well at the range this season, and we want to end the year on a high note.”

Junior Petra Zublasing paces the Mountaineers in both guns, boasting a 596.33 air rifle season average and a 587.78 smallbore average. The Appiano, Italy, native also owns a team-best 1184.0 combined score average.

The eight team field for the 2012 NCAA Championships will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 5 p.m., on NCAA.com.