Rifle Returns to Spring Competition
January 16, 2015 10:53 AM | General
 |
| Kyanko |
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team returns to spring semester competition Saturday, Jan. 17, at the WVU Rifle Range, shooting against conference foe No. 7 Nebraska.
The match is set to start at 8 a.m. and will go into the afternoon. A link to live scores can be found here.
The five-time reigning Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) champions and last year’s regular-season title-holder, WVU (8-0, 6-0 GARC) holds a perfect record in conference play this year.
The Mountaineers hold a 9-3 all-time record against Nebraska and most recently defeated the Cornhuskers, 4656-4650, on Oct. 13, 2013.
"Some of the athletes used the break to continue to get better, improve and come back even better," said coach Jon Hammond. "The break is the same for every team, and I think we're all happy about it."
Senior Thomas Kyanko and junior Garrett Spurgeon lead the Mountaineers in the smallbore discipline this season with 583 averages. Senior Ziva Dvorsak leads the team in air rifle, averaging 596. The Mountaineers average a 4707 aggregate score, while their opponents average 4617.
"The closer you get to the end of your season, the more different things you do with training," Hammond explained. "We're really just trying to get to the peak of our performance now."
WVU leads the nation in air rifle and smallbore, with 2374 and 2332 averages, respectively.
“It's nice to be at home for the first match," said Hammond. "Logistically, things are easier. At the end of the day, though, it's just another match to prepare us for the upcoming end to the season."
The Mountaineers most recently defeated two GARC foes at the WVU Rifle Range. On November 22, WVU defeated No. 11 Navy, 4702-4577. The team continued its weekend success with a 4717-4586 win against No. 16 NC State on November 23.
Gold-Blue Spring Festival Fan Recap
Sunday, April 19
John Neider | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Zac Alley | April 18
Saturday, April 18
Coach Rich Rodriguez | April 18
Saturday, April 18
