No. 1 Rifle Continues to Roll
November 08, 2014 06:06 PM | General
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| Ziva Dvorsak |
The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team continued its win streak with a season-best score, defeating Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) foe No. 9 Memphis, 4718-4637, today, at the WVU Rifle Range.
The Mountaineers’ (4-0, 2-0 GARC) aggregate score is a high this season, better than any shot last season and just two shots short of the school and NCAA record.
“I think it was really just a solid team effort,” said coach Jon Hammond. “We are obviously happy with the overall score. They’re all shooting what they’re capable of shooting. It was nothing spectacular, but I’m happy with it.”
WVU won both disciplines, outshooting the Tigers in smallbore, 2339-2300, and air rifle, 2379-2337. The air rifle score is a season high and just three short of a school and NCAA record.
Senior Thomas Kyanko shot a season-high 589 smallbore score (198 kneeling, 194 standing, 197 prone) for first place in the discipline, while junior Michael Bamsey followed in second with a career-high 585. Senior Ziva Dvorsak matched her season high, shooting 583 for third place.
Freshman Elizabeth Gratz placed fourth with 582, while junior Garrett Spurgeon (579) completed the Mountaineer counting squad.
Senior Maren Prediger placed fifth in smallbore with a career-high 581 score. Her 1174 aggregate also set a career-best score for the two-time All-American.
“That’s definitely a breakthrough for Maren to break 580,” Hammond explained. “She’s been working really hard on that, and she struggles with the discipline sometimes, so that’s great.”
Sophomore Jean-Pierre Lucas (579) shot 200 prone, a school record, last shot by Kyanko against NC State on Jan. 19.
Placing first in air rifle, Dvorsak scored 597 (100-99-99-99-100-100), one shy of her career high. Gratz followed in second, matching her career-high 595 score.
Kyanko shot 594 for third place, one short of his career high, and pushed his aggregate score to 1183, a career high. Prediger placed fourth, shooting 593, while Bamsey completed the counting squad, tying with Lucas for fifth place (590).
“The team’s progressing,” said Hammond. “We’re shooting better than we were just two weeks ago. We’re going in the right direction. It’s a result of the hard work we’re putting in every week and the fact that we have a couple matches under our belt. They’re doing the right things.”
The Mountaineers will continue the fall semester next weekend with two GARC matches. They take on No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday, Nov. 15, in West Point, New York, and compete at No. 15 Army, Sunday, Nov. 16.
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