MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team returns to competition following a two-month break and plays host to Akron at the WVU Rifle Range on Sunday, Jan. 14, with the first relay set to begin at 9 a.m.
 
The range is located in the WVU Shell Building behind the WVU Coliseum, and admission is free.
 
In their last meeting in 2016, WVU earned a 4724-4627 victory over the Zips (2-3, 1-2 GARC) on Oct. 22, in Akron, Ohio. The Mountaineers are 15-0 all-time against Akron.
 
"I think we're ready to get back into the range and competition," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "As a team, we don't have expectations to be in peak form, but I think our training the last week will help us start strong.
 
"As is the case in previous seasons, we're building up now through the next eight weeks for the end of the year. As a team and a staff, we want to go out Sunday and do our best and evaluate where we are and what we need to work on in the coming weeks."
 
In their last outing, the Mountaineers (8-0, 5-0 GARC) set an NCAA aggregate team record, defeating No. 3 Murray State, 4742-4703, on Nov. 12, in Murray, Kentucky. WVU also shot an NCAA smallbore record of 2356 in its win over the Racers.
 
WVU rewrote the NCAA record book throughout its fall season, also tallying the nation's best air rifle mark, shooting 2392 in a 4739-4647 victory over Mississippi on Oct. 21, at the WVU Rifle Range.
 
Junior All-American Ginny Thrasher paces the Mountaineers in both disciplines with season averages of 597.2 air rifle and 586.8 smallbore.
 
Sunday marks the Zips' return to competition since earning wins over MIT and John Jay on Nov. 20, at the DuPoint Rifle Range in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Akron shot 4651.