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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following two record-setting performances last week, freshman Ginny Thrasher has been named the West Virginia University Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

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Thrasher led the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team (9-0, 5-0 GARC) to its ninth straight victory and 23rd consecutive win at the WVU Rifle Range. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, West Virginia set an NCAA record with an aggregate score of 4724 to beat No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks by a score of 4724-4697. The Mountaineers then shot 16 points higher in their 4740-4621 victory over Great American Rifle Conference foe No. 15 Akron on Sunday, Jan. 17, breaking their own NCAA record for the second time in five days.

Thrasher tied for first place against the Nanooks, as she shot a then-career-high 598 (100, 99, 100, 100, 99, 100) air rifle score. In smallbore, Thrasher placed ninth with a score of 579 (195 kneeling, 194 prone, 190 standing).

Five days later, Thrasher bested her career-high air rifle mark by one shot, shooting 599 (100, 99, 100, 100, 100, 100) to finish first against the Zips. In smallbore, she shot 585 (195 kneeling, 199 prone, 196 standing) and finished fifth. With her combined air rifle and smallbore scores, Thrasher shot a career-high aggregate total of 1184 against the Zips.

This Week in Women’s Basketball: No. 25 West Virginia (15-4, 4-2 Big 12) returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 24 in a 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT tilt at TCU … the game is televised on FOX Sports Southwest and can be found locally on FOX College Sports Pacific.

Last Week in Women’s Basketball: An 11-4 run by No. 6/7-ranked Baylor helped the Lady Bears secure a 69-64 win over WVU last Tuesday … Bria Holmes paced the Mountaineers with 14 points in the setback … WVU bounced back with a 72-35 victory over Kansas on Saturday, completing the regular season series sweep of the Jayhawks … Saturday’s victory gave coach Mike Carey his 600th career victory … Tynice Martin registered a season-high 18 points in the win, while Holmes added 14 … Lanay Montgomery finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds in the victory.

Notes: Tynice Martin notched her fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game with a season-high 18 points against Kansas … Martin was named Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Week after averaging 15 points at Baylor and vs. Kansas … Martin is the first Mountaineer to garner back-to-back Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors … West Virginia returned to the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since Dec. 22, 2014 … the Mountaineers rank No. 25 in the AP Poll released on Monday … WVU picked up its first Big 12 series sweep since 2014 with a 72-35 win over KU on Saturday … WVU knocked off the Jayhawks 65-45 in Lawrence on Jan. 3 … West Virginia is 15-1 this season when leading at the half … West Virginia is 15-2 when scoring 60 or more points this season. … Lanay Montgomery recorded her fourth double-double of the season and first in Big 12 action with 14 points and 17 rebounds against KU … Coach Mike Carey earned his 600th-career victory with a win over the Jayhawks …. Carey has won 312 games in 15 seasons at WVU and netted 288 victories while at the helm at Salem for 13 seasons … West Virginia allowed the fewest points (35 by Kansas) against a Big 12 opponent since joining the league in 2012-13 … Bria Holmes moved to No. 4 on WVU’s all-time scoring chart with her 14 points on Saturday, passing Kate Bulger (1,733) … Holmes has netted 1,734 points in her four-year career and needs 18 points to reach third currently held by Talisha Hargis (1,751).

Coach Mike Carey after Saturday’s win over Kansas, his 600th career win: “I’ve always said about that – you need great players, great assistant coaches, and administration has to be on board, and I’ve been fortunate enough at both Salem and here at WVU to have that. We didn’t shoot the ball very well, but it’s good to get this win even if you don’t shoot the ball well.”

This Week in Women’s Tennis: The West Virginia University tennis team kicks off the spring season when it travels to Pitt to take on the Panthers on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. … the Mountaineers are 29-5 all-time against the Panthers.

Last Week in Women’s Tennis: West Virginia was idle last week.

Notes: This fall, the Mountaineers competed in five tournaments … sophomore Habiba Shaker leads the team with nine singles wins, followed by senior Hailey Barrett and sophomore Lyn Yuen Choo with eight and seven victories this season, respectively … the doubles tandems of Barrett and sophomore Yvon Martinez, sophomore Carolina Lewis and Choo and junior Kaja Mrgole and Shaker are tied with a team-best 4-3 doubles record this fall.

Coach Miha Lisac on the conclusion of the fall season: “We are working on the right things going into the spring season. Each and every player has improved, and we also improved as a team. We are not far off, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, there is more work to be done, but we can see that we are capable of playing well and can capitalize on points when given the opportunity.”

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers stay in Morgantown and return to the WVU Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 24, for a 2 p.m. tri-meet against Western Michigan and William & Mary … it’s a “Dollar Day,” and all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas will be available for $1 each.

Last Week in Gymnastics: WVU (1-2, 0-1) opened its 2016 home season with a resounding 195.8-195.225 victory over No. 18-ranked New Hampshire on Jan. 17, in front of 2,390 fans at the WVU Coliseum … the Mountaineers tallied season highs on all four events and defeated UNH on vault (49.075-48.7), uneven bars (48.9-48.35) and floor exercise (49.175-48.8) … the Wildcats won balance beam, 49.375-48.65 … junior Alexa Goldberg tallied a career-high 39.225 and finished first in the all-around … she also scored a career-high 9.95 on floor and a season-best 9.9 on bars for the event wins … freshman Kirah Koshinski tallied a season-best 9.9 on vault for the win … she also paced WVU on beam with a 9.8, good enough for fifth place.

Notes: The Mountaineers’ score against the Wildcats would have been their third-highest total in 2015 … the total ranks No. 38 in program history … Goldberg now shows six career bars scores of 9.9 or better, the third-best total in WVU history … freshman Tiara Wright tallied a career-high 9.875 on bars and finished second … senior Melissa Idell and sophomore Jordan Gillette tied for second on floor with 9.85s … the mark is a career-high for Gillette and a season best for Idell … sophomore Zaakira Muhammad earned a season-best 9.85 on vault and placed second … multiple Mountaineers made career debuts on several events, including freshmen Jaquie Tun on vault and floor, and Sarah Moore and Carly Galpin on beam … Sunday was a Beauty and the Beast meet, and the attendance mark ranks No. 8 in WVU gymnastics history … WVU owns a 3-0 all-time record against WMU and a 16-0 mark against W&M.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team will hit the road after five straight home matches, and travel to Annapolis, Maryland, to face No. 14-ranked Navy, on Saturday, Jan. 23, inside the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range … the match is set to begin at 8 a.m. … WVU is 24-8 all-time against the Midshipmen.

Last Week in Rifle: West Virginia (9-0, 5-0 GARC) tallied its ninth straight victory and 23rd consecutive win at the WVU Rifle Range against Great American Rifle Conference foe No. 15 Akron on Sunday, Jan. 17 … on Tuesday, Jan. 12, West Virginia set an NCAA record with an aggregate score of 4724 to beat No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks by a score of 4724-4697 … WVU swept UAF in both guns, winning air rifle, 2382-2374, and smallbore, 2342-2323 … the Mountaineers then shot 16 points higher in their 4740-4621 victory over the Zips, breaking their own NCAA record for the second time in five days … the Mountaineers defeated the Zips in both disciplines, also with NCAA record scores, winning smallbore, 2352-2291, and air rifle, 2388-2330 … WVU improved six shots in air rifle and 10 shots in smallbore from Tuesday’s victory against the Nanooks.

Notes: Junior Jean-Pierre Lucas shot a career-high 589 (199 kneeling, 199 prone, 191 standing) smallbore score and tied for first place against the Nanooks … senior Michael Bamsey matched his career-high smallbore score of 587 to tie for third with senior Garrett Spurgeon … senior Meelis Kiisk (586), senior Patrick Sunderman (585) and sophomore Elizabeth Gratz (582) placed fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively … Gratz and Kiisk matched a program record, shooting 200 prone, while Lucas also matched a program record with a kneeling score of 199 … a Mountaineer also tied for first in air rifle, as freshman Ginny Thrasher shot a career-high 598 (100, 99, 100, 100, 99, 100) and placed second … Spurgeon matched a personal-best score of 597 (100, 100, 99, 99, 99, 100) to finish third, followed by Sunderman, shooting 594 to tie for fourth … with the win, WVU improved to 11-7 all-time against UAF … a trio of Mountaineers set career-high smallbore scores against the Zips, with Kiisk (198 kneeling, 200 prone, 192 standing), Bamsey (196 kneeling, 199 prone, 193 standing) and freshman Will Anti (192 kneeling, 198 prone,194 kneeling) shooting 590, 588 and 584, to place first, second and sixth, respectively … Spurgeon shot 587 (196 kneeling, 196 prone, 195 standing) to tie for third with Lucas (195 kneeling, 200 prone, 192 standing) … Lucas (195 kneeling, 200 prone, 192 standing) and Kiisk matched a program record, shooting 200 prone … a pair of Mountaineers set career-high scores in air rifle, with Thrasher (100, 99, 100, 100, 100, 100) and senior Patrick Sunderman (99, 100, 100, 100, 99, 100) shooting 599 and 598, to place first and second, respectively … Thrasher broke her career-high mark of 598, set on Jan. 12 against Alaska-Fairbanks … Gratz (98, 100, 98, 99, 100, 100) and Kiisk (100, 97, 99, 100, 100, 99) also matched their career-high scores to tie for fifth with 595 marks … with the win, West Virginia won its ninth consecutive match and 23rd in a row at home … the Mountaineers improved to 14-0 all-time against Akron.

This week in Track and Field: West Virginia hosts the annual Marty Pushkin Classic at the WVU Shell Building on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 9 a.m.

Last week in Track and Field: Freshman Danique Bryan won the women’s long jump, to lead the West Virginia University track and field team at the Nittany Lion Challenge in State College, Pennsylvania, to open the regular season … in Bryan’s first debut as a Mountaineer, she marked 6.00 meters in the long jump for a personal best … three Mountaineers posted top-three finishes in their respected events … sophomore Shamoya McNeil finished third in the triple jump, with a mark of 12.39 meters … sophomore Bria Welker sprinted to a third-place finish in the women’s 400-meter dash in 58.34 seconds and junior Amy Cashin placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.28 … West Virginia posted three finishes in the top 13 in the 1,000-meter run … sophomore Millie Paladino led the team placing sixth overall in 2:45.80 … senior Savanna Plombon placed 12th in 2:52.25 and senior Kelly Williams finished in 13th in 2:53.67 … in the pole vault, sophomore Sara Finfrock placed seventh with a vault of 3.54 meters for a personal best … freshman Jordan Hess made her first debut as she placed 11th with a vault of 3.39 meters … senior Marsielle McBeam placed sixth in the women’s high jump (1.70m) and freshman Faith Penny placed seventh (1.65m) … freshman Candace Jones also saw her WVU debut as she raced in the 600 meters to place 12th with a time of 1:36.31.

Notes: Bryan’s 6.00-meter jump set her at the fourth-best performance in WVU indoor history … McNeil posted a personal best in the triple jump, while achieving the third best performance in WVU indoor history … the Mountaineers hosted the Marty Pushkin last year at the WVU Shell Building, where they led by four-first place finishes to open the 2014 season.

This Week in Swimming and Diving: West Virginia returns home to host its final home meet of the season with Senior Night on Friday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. … the men and women compete against Villanova, while the women will also face Big 12 foe Iowa State.

Last Week in Swimming and Diving: The WVU men defeated TCU and the women were edged by the Horned Frogs on Saturday afternoon, in Fort Worth, Texas … thanks to a strong finish, the Mountaineer men won their second consecutive meet with a 154-144 victory to improve to 3-1 against TCU as Big 12 foes … the women’s competition was just as close, but the Horned Frogs prevailed for a 157-143 win.

Notes: The men won 10 of the 16 events, while the women posted eight wins senior Andrew Marsh led the way with three individual wins for the Mountaineers, while seniors Jaimee Gillmore and Max Spencer, juniors Nate Carr and Emma Skelley and sophomore diver Alex Obendorf all won two individual events … both the men and women got off to slow starts Saturday, as TCU won four of the first six women’s races and five of the first seven men’s events, but WVU answered to erase a 20-point deficit by the men and a 16-point deficit from the women at the first break … the Mountaineers used three consecutive wins by both the men and women, another streak of four straight wins by the men and a sweep of the four diving events to climb back even with the Horned Frogs.

Coach Vic Riggs after the TCU Meet: “What a great meet. We showed true grit and fight today. Both the men and women started the meet a little sluggish, and that definitely put us in the hole at the first break. We talked about how we were going to respond and the opportunity we had in front of us. It all started with Jaimee [Gillmore’s] and Andrew [Marsh’s] wins in the 100 freestyle, and we went from there. The divers definitely were the difference for both teams today, and [diving coach Mike Grapner] did a great job impressing on them their role in the meet. Both meets came down to the last relays, and we came away a fingernail ahead on the men’s side and just were a little short in the women’s race. With such a long travel day yesterday and a very tight meet today, we swam as well and better than last week in many areas, and that’s a great sign of this team’s desire to win.”

This Week in Wrestling: West Virginia hits the road for a pair of duals, traveling to Tempe, Arizona … the Mountaineers will face rival Arizona State on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in a 1 p.m. ET match to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network … the squad will also take on Stanford in a neutral site match at 3 p.m. ET that afternoon … WVU is 1-0 against ASU this year and 3-1 vs. the Sun Devils in the Sammie Henson/Zeke Jones era.

Last Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers opened league action with a pair of Big 12 duals at the WVU Coliseum last weekend … No. 24 West Virginia dropped a 38-3 match to No. 5 Oklahoma State on Friday … junior Jacob A. Smith was the lone Mountaineer to come away victorious, claiming a 4-2 decision over Preston Weigel with a takedown in sudden victory … WVU fell to No. 9 Oklahoma, 23-11, on Sunday during the Beauty and the Beast meet … Smith and Dylan Cottrell each earned major decisions in the loss, while Bubba Scheffel earned a win by decision.

Notes: West Virginia moved up to No. 24 in the most recent NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, and ranks 23rd in InterMat’s dual match rankings… a trio of Mountaineers continue to rank in the top-20 of their respective weights... Zeke Moisey ranks No. 12 (InterMat) and No. 13 (Flo Wrestling) at 125… Dylan Cottrell is at No. 13 (Intermat) and No. 12 (Flo Wrestling) at 157 pounds… Jacob A. Smith is ranked No. 7 for both InterMat and Flo Wrestling at 197 pounds … the Mountaineers have ranked as high as No. 21 as a team this season.

Coach Sammie Henson after Sunday’s Beauty and the Beast meet: “It was a great event. I thought it went well, the fan participation. We’re excited to always compete in front of the Mountaineer family. Hopefully, we do a better job there. We definitely wrestled hard. Everybody wrestled hard, I felt, and competed the whole time. It’s hard to make up ground in a day.”

This Week in Rowing: The West Virginia University rowing team is idle until the start of its spring season.

Last Week in Rowing: The Mountaineers were idle last week.

Notes: The rowing novice team swept Duquesne, Pitt and Carnegie Mellon to conclude the fall season on Saturday, Nov. 7, on the Allegheny River … the novice 8 ‘A’ boat raced to a first-place finish with a time of 11:11.86, five seconds ahead of Pitt … the Novice 8 ‘B’ boat also won, finishing in front of Pitt with a time of 10:37.8 on a course approximately 200 meters shorter than the first novice 8 competition … in the last two races of the day, West Virginia finished first with a time of 11:40.8 in the Novice 4 ‘A’ race, followed by another first-place finish in the Novice 4 ‘B’ race … the Head of the Occoquan was the first regatta of the season for the novice team on Saturday, Oct. 31 … eight of the Mountaineers’ 10 boats posted top-10 finishes on the Occoquan Reservoir … WVU’s four medals came with first-and second-place finishes in the Women’s Collegiate Novice 4+, a bronze-medal finish in the Women’s Collegiate Novice 8 and a fifth-place finish in the Women’s Championship 4+ … the WVU rowing team also had a strong showing in its fall season opener at the Head of the Ohio, on Saturday, Oct. 3 … the Mountaineers placed first and third in the Women’s Open 4+ and second in the Women’s Open 8 … to open the day, West Virginia finished second in the Women’s Open 8, as it faced 12 boats to take a silver medal back home to Morgantown.

This Week in Golf: The Mountaineers will take a winter hiatus and return to the course on Feb. 15, when they travel to Houston, Texas, for the President’s Day Challenge … the event will be hosted by Rice.

Last Week in Golf: WVU was idle last week.

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Thrasher Named Student-Athlete of the Week

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