MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – All eight members of the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team collected a combined 26 all-conference honors tonight at the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) banquet in Oxford, Mississippi.

 

The awards were presented on the eve of the 2016 GARC Championships, set for Feb. 27-28, at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center. The Mountaineers (12-0, 8-0 GARC) will shoot for their seventh straight GARC Championship title.

 

For the third time in his career, 10-year coach Jon Hammond was named the 2016 GARC Coach of the Year. A native of Aberdeen, Scotland, Hammond has led WVU to the nation’s top four scores shot this season, including an NCAA-record 4740 achieved in a win against Akron on Jan. 17, at the WVU Rifle Range. West Virginia owns a nation-best 17 national championships, as the team looks to defend its three consecutive titles this season.

 

“It’s a really nice award, but it’s also something that wouldn’t happen without the team’s success,” Hammond explained. “It’s a reflection of the team and their performance throughout the year. It all comes down to the effort and hard work that the team puts in. Ultimately, I am grateful for the team’s performance and the focus that they had this year. Any individual recognition is in result of the team’s success.”

 

Senior Garrett Spurgeon earned GARC Senior of the Year and GARC Shooter of the Year honors. Spurgeon also was the only Mountaineer to earn three first-team honors, as the Canton, Missouri, native scored All-GARC smallbore, air rifle and combined score recognitions for the second time in his career. The last time Spurgeon achieved that feat was during his sophomore season (2013-14).

 

Spurgeon paces the team in smallbore with a 586.2 average. He also averages 593.1 in air rifle and an 1178.5 combined score mark.

 

“Garrett has been really determined and focused to finish his last year strong, and he has done everything that he could to achieve that,” Hammond said. “He has put in the extra effort this year, and he has focused on the little things that could help him improve, whether it was on the range or off the range. He has worked really hard to make this happen, and it is two great awards for him. It’s a reflection of the work he has put in, and how he wanted to finish his senior season.”

 

Freshman Ginny Thrasher earned her first conference honors tonight, as she took home the GARC Rookie of the Year award. The Springfield, Virginia, native also was named to the All-GARC air rifle and combined score first-team lists and achieved All-GARC Second Team Smallbore honors.

 

Thrasher paces the team in air rifle with a 594.7 average. She also averages 583 in smallbore and an 1177.9 combined score mark.

 

“Ginny has worked really hard as well,” Hammond noted. “I think she has been very focused. She wants to get better every week. She has been very coachable, and she has taken on board all the information she has been given, whether it was from myself, the rest of the staff and her teammates. She has worked very hard to make this happen. She is determined, and it has shown in her results this year.”

 

After redshirting last season, senior Meelis Kiisk was named to the All-GARC smallbore and combined score first-team lists for the first time in his career. The Paide, Estonia, native also earned all-conference second team in air rifle.

 

Senior Patrick Sunderman and junior Jean-Pierre Lucas were named to the All-GARC Second Team Smallbore and Combined Score lists. Sunderman also earned all-conference first team in air rifle, while Lucas earned his first All-GARC Second Team Air Rifle honor.

 

Senior Michael Bamsey and sophomore Elizabeth Gratz were named to the All-GARC Second Team Combined Score list. Bamsey also earned all-conference honorable mention in air rifle and all-conference first team in smallbore, while Gratz earned all-conference honorable mention in smallbore and all-conference first team in air rifle.

 

Freshman Will Anti also earned his first conference honors tonight, as he took home All-GARC Second Team Smallbore and All-GARC Honorable Mention Combined Score recognitions.

 

“These awards are always a good confidence booster,” Hammond stated. “It is great to receive that recognition for all the hard work and effort that you have put in throughout the year. It’s nice to have award banquets like tonight to recognize all the hard work and effort that you have put in throughout the season. The awards are really great. It is a nice confidence booster, but at the same time, we have to remain focused on the GARC Championships and the remaining few weeks of our season. Once the season is over, then we can allow ourselves to look back on everything.”

 

The Mountaineers, the GARC regular-season champions, look to defend their six straight GARC Championship titles tomorrow morning, with the first team smallbore relay scheduled for 8 a.m. ET. The team air rifle competition will begin at 9 a.m. ET Sunday.