MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On the heels of a spectacular showing by current and former Mountaineer rifle student-athletes at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games, West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons announced today the 2016-17 rifle schedule.
The four-time reigning NCAA Champions, the Mountaineers will face five 2016 NCAA Championships qualifiers: third-place finisher Murray State, Kentucky, Alaska-Fairbanks, Ohio State and Nebraska.
Five shoulder-to-shoulder matches will be held at the WVU Rifle Range this season, where the Mountaineers own a 25-match win streak.
“It’s another exciting schedule for our program, and it certainly will present us with a lot of challenges,” 11-year coach Jon Hammond said. “We’ll compete against several top-10 teams. Ultimately, we want to shoot against the best we can so we feel prepared when postseason begins.”
The Mountaineers open the season against Ohio State on Sunday, Oct. 2. The match will be split into two parts, with the smallbore competition beginning at the WVU Rifle Range at 8 a.m., and the air rifle relay beginning at 1 p.m. at the WVU Indoor Track, and will feature 20 firing points. Fans are invited to the track to cheer on the Mountaineers. Following the competition, the Mountaineers, including 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Ginny Thrasher, will meet with fans to sign autographs and participate in a free youth clinic.
“It was important that we hosted another fan-friendly match, as I think it’s a great exhibition for the sport of rifle,” Hammond explained. “With this being the first match of our season, I’m anticipating a great turnout from our supporters. It’s going to be a special day – we’ll be welcoming the team back from another NCAA title run, and it also will be one of the first times our fans can congratulate Ginny following her exciting run at the Rio Summer Olympics.
“Ohio State is an up-and-coming team, and I think this is a great first challenge for us. There’s no better way to start a new season.”
Following an open week, the Mountaineers will travel to NC State on Oct. 15 for their Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) season opener. WVU has won seven straight GARC championship titles. A trip to Akron and Ohio State will follow Oct. 22-23.
The Mountaineers return to the WVU Rifle Range on Nov. 5 for a match against Memphis before closing their fall season with two matches at Army West Point on Nov. 12-13. WVU will face the Black Knights on Nov. 12 and Mississippi on Nov. 13.
The squad will hold its first of three spring home matches at the WVU Rifle Range on Tuesday, Jan. 10, against Alaska-Fairbanks. The squad will follow the match with shoulder-to-shoulder competitions against GARC foes Navy and Nebraska at the WVU Rifle Range on Jan. 20 and Jan. 22, respectively.
Following a three-week break, WVU will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for two key matches. The Mountaineers will shoot for the GARC regular-season title against UK on Feb. 11 before meeting the Racers of Murray State on Feb. 12.
WVU closes its home season with an NCAA Qualifying match at the WVU Rifle Range on Feb. 18. The team will not shoot against an opponent that day.
The GARC Championships are scheduled for Feb. 25-26 at a yet to be determined location.
Ohio State University will serve as host of the NCAA Championships on March 10-11. OSU last served as host of the championships in 2013. WVU’s win that year sparked its current streak of four straight titles.
“Once again, the NCAA Championships will take place close to home. Our team is familiar with the range, and we should have a great, supportive group in the stands that weekend,” Hammond said.
The Mountaineers finished the 2015-16 season at 12-0 and collected the GARC regular-season and championship titles, as well as the NCAA title. Thrasher swept the individual NCAA titles and became the first freshman to win smallbore and air rifle at the NCAA Championships. She highlights a group of four letterwinners returning for WVU, which also includes senior Jean-Pierre Lucas, junior Elizabeth Gratz and sophomore Will Anti.
