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No. 1 WVU Defeats No. 16 Mississippi
November 01, 2015 07:40 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team defeated No. 16 Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) foe Mississippi by a score of 4713-4602, today, at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center.
West Virginia (4-0, 3-0 GARC) defeated Mississippi in both disciplines, outshooting the Rebels in air rifle, 2375-2332, and smallbore, 2338-2270.
Mississippi shooters did not crack the top-10 standings in either smallbore or air rifle. However, Ali Weisz paced the Rebels with an aggregated score of 1155, as she placed 16th in smallbore (567) and 10th in air rifle (588).
“It was a solid team performance,” said WVU rifle coach Jon Hammond. “I thought it was really good to see the team come back from yesterday’s match with better performances today. It’s always good to see them respond and perform really well on the road like they did today.”
Mountaineer senior Garrett Spurgeon set a smallbore career-high score of 590 (197 kneeling, 198 prone, 195 standing) and finished first overall.
“Shooting 590 is a great achievement, and it’s something he wanted to do for a very long time,” Hammond noted. “I remember him shooting 589 on a number of occasions, dating all the way back to his freshman year, and for him to break that 590 barrier was really meaningful for him.”
Junior Jean-Pierre Lucas placed second in the discipline with 586.
Senior Patrick Sunderman and sophomore Elizabeth Gratz tied for third place with 585s. In the tie, Gratz matched her smallbore career-high score. The last time she recorded a 585 mark was against N.C. State on Nov. 23, 2014.
Senior Michael Bamsey placed fifth in the discipline with 583, while senior Meelis Kiisk and freshman Ginny Thrasher tied for sixth with a 580 smallbore mark.
Freshman Will Anti also set a career-high score of 576 (188 kneeling, 199 prone, 189 standing) in the discipline to finish ninth overall.
Spurgeon also shot a season-high 596 (100-98-99-99-100-100) to place first overall in air rifle. With his combined smallbore and air rifle scores, Spurgeon shot a career-high aggregate total of 1186.
“For Garrett to come back and shoot a season-best air rifle match right after his smallbore performance was something really special,” Hammond explained. “Overall, I thought he had a solid performance today.”
Lucas tallied a 595 (98-100-99-100-98-100) and finished second overall. Sunderman shot a 594 in the discipline, while Gratz also matched her career-high air rifle score of 593 (98-100-99-98-99-99) and finished fifth overall.
Kiisk shot a 592, followed by Bamsey who finished seventh with an air rifle score of 591. Thrasher finished ninth with 590, while Anti shot a 580 in the discipline.
Four Mountaineers shot toward the team score in both disciplines: Gratz, Kiisk, Spurgeon and Thrasher. Bamsey shot toward the team smallbore mark, and Sunderman added to the squad’s air rifle total.
Four shooters also had a career day against the Rebels, as Anti, Sunderman, Lucas and Spurgeon set career-high aggregate scores. Anti, Sunderman, Lucas and Spurgeon recorded 1156, 1179, 1181 and 1186 combined totals, respectively.
Gratz also matched her career-high aggregate score of 1178.
“Patrick had a really strong weekend, along with J.P. and Elizabeth, as they set new highs for their combined scores. I think everyone had a really strong performance today,” Hammond said.
With the win, WVU improves to 11-3 all-time against the Rebels.
The Mountaineers hit the road again, as they travel to Akron, Ohio, for a match against Murray State, in the Akron Invitational, on Saturday, Nov. 7. In the College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Poll released on Oct. 27, Murray State also checked in at No. 1 for the first time under coach Alan Lollar. The match is slated to begin at 8 a.m. ET.
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