Rifle to Shoot for 2015 NCAA Title
March 12, 2015 02:20 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team shoots for a three-peat and its nation-best 17th national title at the 2015 NCAA Rifle Championships, March 13-14, at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks’ E.F. Horton Rifle Range and Patty Center, in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The first smallbore relay is scheduled to begin at noon EDT on Friday, with the discipline final set for 11 p.m. The first air rifle relay will begin at noon EDT on Saturday, and the discipline final will follow at 6:45 p.m.
The Mountaineers (11-1, 8-0 GARC), the only WVU team to win an NCAA title, look to capture their third straight championship and fourth since 2009. The host Nanooks were the last program to win three consecutive NCAA titles from 2006-08. UAF also ranks second in the nation with 10 NCAA titles, winning its last championship in 2008. The two teams have combined for all but three titles since 2006.
“The last three weeks have been great preparation for this weekend’s championships,” said Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond. “We’ve learned a lot over the last month, especially at the GARC Championships. I think we’re in a good state and are as prepared as we can be. We’re looking forward to having a fun trip to Alaska and enjoying ourselves. We want to be as relaxed as possible and treat this championship as another match.”
Just one point separates the Mountaineers and the No. 2-ranked Nanooks in the College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Poll, as WVU owns a 9418.33 NCAA qualifying average, and UAF shows a 9417.33 average. The teams met twice six weeks ago at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range; WVU scored a 4691-4688 win on January 31, and UAF earned a 4706-4705 win on February 1. The Mountaineers’ loss was their first since the 2012-13 season.
The two teams have combined for the 12 highest scores shot nationally this season. WVU posted a season-high and nation-best score of 4718 against Memphis on November 8 at the WVU Rifle Range, while UAF shot a season-high of 4712, the NCAA’s fourth-best mark, in its NCAA Qualifying match at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range on February 21.
“Our team and Alaska are capable of shooting very high scores,” explained Hammond. “We know that anything can happen on any given day. We’re going to be focused on ourselves throughout the weekend. We cannot compare our scores to Alaska’s or any other teams’. The match will play out how it will – we just need to worry about ourselves and shoot the best we possibly can. Hopefully, it falls in our favor in the end.”
Five Mountaineers will shoot for WVU’s counting team this weekend: seniors Ziva Dvorsak, Thomas Kyanko and Maren Prediger, and juniors Michael Bamsey and Garrett Spurgeon. All but Bamsey shot at last year’s championship, and the quartet boasts 12 All-America honors and eight top-eight finishes at the NCAA Championships. Prediger and Spurgeon finished second in air rifle and smallbore, respectively, at the 2014 NCAA Championships, while Dvorsak placed third in air rifle.
“I think we’re as prepared as we can be. The team we’re taking to the championships is practically the same squad we took last year,” said Hammond. “Mike is our only new addition, but he has a lot of international experience. I think each of these shooters is capable of making the final on both days. We’ve held some finals practices, and I think they will all be prepared if they do qualify. Ultimately, we need to take care of the match first.”
Sixteen WVU shooters have won 22 individual NCAA titles, with Petra Zublasing earning the 2013 air rifle and smallbore titles.
The Mountaineers capped their second straight undefeated season with a winning, 4709 showing at the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships on March 1. The title was the team’s sixth straight and ninth overall.
WVU owns a season average of 4703. The team has shot 4700 or better nine times and shot a school and national-record 2386 air rifle at the GARC Championships on March 1. Dvorsak paces the Mountaineers with a 596 air rifle average, and Kyanko owns a team-best 583 smallbore average.
Six teams will shoot alongside the Mountaineers and the Nanooks: Jacksonville State, Kentucky, Murray State, Nebraska, TCU and U.S. Air Force Academy. UK won the 2011 NCAA title, while TCU scored the 2010 and 2012 championships.
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