thrasher-ncaa-smallbore-champion-main.jpg
WVU Captures NCAA Smallbore Title
March 11, 2016 06:42 PM | Rifle
- Ginny Thrasher Wins NCAA Smallbore Title -
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team opened the defense of its three consecutive national championships strong, as the Mountaineers won the 2016 NCAA smallbore title with a score of 2338, today, at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletics Field House, in Akron, Ohio.
The Mountaineers (12-0, 8-0 GARC) shot 2338 smallbore for the third time this season, as today’s title is the second for WVU under 10-year coach Jon Hammond. The last time West Virginia captured the NCAA smallbore title was during the 2014 season.
Following the first smallbore relay, WVU trailed No. 3 TCU by only eight shots. West Virginia came out strong in the final relay, as the Mountaineers made up the difference and now hold a five-shot advantage over the Horned Frogs. TCU sits in second place with a 2333 smallbore score. No. 2-ranked Murray State is third with a 2329 mark, while No. 3 Kentucky and No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks are tied for fourth (2313).
“We were very focused, and now, we are halfway through the match,” Hammond said. “Overall, I am very proud with how the team performed today. It is a hard match, and they all had their struggles and battled for a little bit. I am very proud with how they competed today and how they worked throughout their matches.”
Five student-athletes shot for WVU, as seniors Michael Bamsey (587), Meelis Kiisk (584), Garrett Spurgeon (581) and Patrick Sunderman (575), as well as freshman Ginny Thrasher (586), combined for the team score.
Bamsey shot 587 (197 kneeling, 198 prone, 192 standing), two marks shy of his career high, to place first in the open relay. Murray State’s Ivan Roe and Thrasher (193 kneeling, 199 prone, 194 standing) tied for second with 586 marks, while Kiisk shot 584 (194 standing, 199 prone, 191 standing) to tie for fifth place in the open relay.
The trio then represented West Virginia in the individual final, as the Mountaineers claimed three of the top-four spots. The 2016 NCAA smallbore title came down to the last shot between Thrasher and Kiisk. Thrasher, the 2016 GARC smallbore champion, shot 461.5 for the discipline win.
A native of Springfield, Virginia, Thrasher is the first Mountaineer to claim the smallbore title since Petra Zublasing won the championship in 2013. The discipline win pushes West Virginia’s individual NCAA title count to 24.
“Ginny has done a great job on focusing on the process,” Hammond explained. “She has managed to do that all year. She is very determined in her matches. Once she was in the final, she focused on the things that she had to work on. She has been shooting great finals all year, whether it was in practice with the team or at the GARC Championships this year. She was confident going into today’s final, and it was an exciting match to watch. She managed to hang in there and shoot the best standing toward the end of the match. She came away as a winner.”
Kiisk (455.3) and Bamsey (435.3) placed second and fourth, respectively, in the individual final. A native of Cardiff, Wales, Bamsey shot in his second straight NCAA smallbore final, as he finished seventh at last year’s championships.
“Meelis (Kiisk) and Mike (Michael Bamsey) did great in the final,” Hammond noted. “They had really solid performances. Meelis and Mike were shooting some great kneeling and prone positions all day. They hung in there until the end. It was exciting to watch as a coach and as a fan. It is great to watch all three of them in the final and for them to come out in first, second and fourth place was great to see as well.”
WVU entered the championships boasting a 2338.6 smallbore season average.
The Mountaineers, the 2016 GARC regular-season and postseason champions, shoot for their nation-best 18th title tomorrow at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletics Field House, in Akron, Ohio.
“We have to stay very focused on ourselves,” Hammond said. “We have to treat tomorrow like a new day. We are going to be very focused on the things that we have to do in order to control our performances. We cannot let any outside distractions come in. We have to go out there and do our best. They have to work hard throughout their match and do what they know how to do.”
The first air rifle relay will begin at 10:15 a.m. tomorrow and the discipline final will follow at 2:30 p.m.
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
