MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Several West Virginia University rifle student-athletes, as well as two incoming freshmen, will compete at the 2016 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle/Pistol (USASNC), which opens today at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) in Fort Benning, Georgia.

 

All four returning Mountaineer letterwinners – rising senior Jean-Pierre Lucas, junior Elizabeth Gratz and sophomores Will Anti and Ginny Thrasher, a 2016 USA Olympian – will be among the more than 300 athletes competing for National Team selections. The foursome will be joined by incoming Mountaineers Jack Anderson and Morgan Phillips.

 

Competition opens today with the first of two relays for women’s 10m air rifle and men’s 50m 3 position rifle. The men’s and women’s 50m rifle prone competitions will take place June 25-26. The men’s 10m air rifle and the women’s 50m 3 position rifle competitions are set for June 27-28.

 

Thrasher broke onto the national scene at the 2015 championships, as the Springfield, Virginia, native earned five medals, two in open categories and three in junior competitions, and secured U.S. National Team status. Among her medal haul was a first-place finish in the junior’s 50m 3 position rifle competition and a second-place showing in the open women’s 10m air rifle.

 

Also at last year’s championships, Lucas snagged the high collegiate finisher title in the men’s 10m air rifle and placed sixth overall. Additionally, Phillips finished fifth overall, second in the junior competition, in the women’s 3 position competition and earned a roster spot on the U.S. National Junior Team.

 

A complete championship recap will be available at the conclusion of competition.