osu-main-10116.jpg
No. 1 Mountaineers Open Season Sunday
October 01, 2016 04:14 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team opens its 2016-17 season against No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 2.
The teams will compete in smallbore starting at 8 a.m. at the WVU Rifle Range. The match will then move to the indoor track inside the WVU Shell Building, and the air rifle competition will begin at 1 p.m. An exhibition individual final will follow at 2:45 p.m.
A Fan Fest will be held at the conclusion of the exhibition final, and the Mountaineers will be available to meet with fans and sign autographs. Additionally, youths under the age of 13 will be invited to shoot on the range. Admission and parking are free.
“This is a great way to start the season,” 11-year coach Jon Hammond said. “We did this open match last year, and it was a great turnout and a great event. To start our season this way is really exciting. We’re really looking forward to Sunday, and we’re looking forward to having a lot of fans and spectators come watch.”
The four-time reigning National Champion Mountaineers return to competition following a 2015-16 season which saw the team post a 12-0 record, secure its fourth straight NCAA title, seventh straight Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) championship title and fourth straight conference regular-season crown.
“We try and treat every season as a new season again,” Hammond said. “We work on the things we can control. A lot of those things come from ourselves and are within the program. We can’t control others’ expectations or the outcomes.
“This is the time of year when nothing is won or lost; we’re just trying to be better as a team and for the athletes to be better individual shooters as well. We’re very focused on shooting every day and getting better.”
Sophomore Ginny Thrasher leads a group of four returning letterwinners. The Springfield, Virginia, native is coming off an exciting summer which saw her win Gold for the United States in the women’s 10m air rifle at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games. The 2016 GARC Rookie of the Year, she swept the individual titles at the NCAA Championships, becoming the first freshman to win smallbore and air rifle at one championship.
Senior Jean-Pierre Lucas, a six-time All-American, will serve as team captain for the second straight season. Also returning are junior Elizabeth Gratz, herself a six-time All-American, and sophomore Will Anti.
The Mountaineers welcome four freshmen to the team this season: Jack Anderson, Milica Babic, Noah Barker and Morgan Phillips.
The Buckeyes (1-0) opened the season with a 4668-4661 win at No. 13 Nevada on Sept. 24. The mark was the highest opening match score in program history. Jacob Buchanan paced in smallbore with a 579 mark, while Rhiann Travis and Drew Cheezum shot matching team-best air rifle scores of 592.
Jon Hammond NCAA Championship | March 18
Wednesday, March 18
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, September 30
Life as a Mountaineer - Jared Eddy
Wednesday, March 24
