MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team returned to competition with a 4711-4651 victory over Akron today at the WVU Rifle Range.
 
Away from action for two months, the Mountaineers (9-0, 6-0 GARC) made easy work of the Zips (2-4, 1-2 GARC), winning smallbore, 2334-2296, and air rifle, 2377-2355.
 
"I think today was a solid start to the semester. This was the first match back from the break, and there was an adjustment period, but the things we wanted to accomplish, we did," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "We wanted to get back into match mode and test what we've worked on in practice. We saw where we're at, and we have a lot to work on in the coming week. Overall, we're where I expected us to be."
 
The Mountaineers took the top three spots in air rifle today, with junior Ginny Thrasher finishing first with a 598 (100-100-99-100-99-100) mark. Senior Elizabeth Gratz shot 594 and placed second, while sophomore Milica Babic tied Akron's Cierra Terizzi for third place with a 593.
 
Sophomore Morgan Phillips finished fifth in air rifle with a 592 mark, and junior Will Anti placed six with a 591. Redshirt-freshman David Koenders followed in seventh place with a 590 total.
 
Sophomore Jack Anderson enjoyed a career day in air rifle, shooting a high of 589 and tying for eighth place. Redshirt-freshman Noah Barker and freshman Sarah Osborn tied for 11th place with 587 totals; the mark is a career best for Barker.
 
"The whole team has been working hard," Hammond added. "Jack and Noah put a lot of work in the last semester and didn't always get the results they wanted. Today, they showed their progress. This was a good way to start the semester, and it gives them building blocks for rest of way."
 
WVU also took the top three spots in smallbore, with Koenders shooting a winning 586 (191 kneeling, 199 prone, 196 standing). Thrasher finished second with a 585, while Babic shot 583 and placed third.
 
Gratz and Phillips shot 580 and tied for fifth place, while Anti and Barker tied for seventh place with 575 marks. Osborn finished in ninth place with a 574 score, and Anderson added a career-high 566.
 
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team scores: Babic, Gratz, Koenders, Phillips and Thrasher.
 
With the win, WVU is 16-0 all-time against Akron.  
 
The Mountaineers fly West next week for a pair of matches in Fairbanks, Alaska. WVU lines up against No. 10 Mississippi on Saturday, Jan. 20, and No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks on Sunday, Jan. 21. Both matches are set to begin at noon EST.