MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team opened its weekend in Fairbanks, Alaska, with a 4718-4669 victory over No. 9 Mississippi this afternoon at Tanana Valley Sportsmen's Association.
 
The Mountaineers (10-0, 7-0 GARC) swept the Rebels in both disciplines for their second win of the season over Ole Miss (4-4, 4-3 GARC). WVU outshot the Rebels 2340-2322 smallbore and 2378-2347 air rifle.
 
"Today was a nice, steady and professional performance," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "They each worked hard throughout the match. There were some good individual performances, too, but across the board we were steady and put forth a good team result.
 
"We had a long travel day Thursday, and we competed in a new range today, but everyone went about his and her performance in a professional way. We saw improvement from last week, and that's good, and we left more satisfied today."
 
Junior Ginny Thrasher earned the individual wins, shooting 591 (199 kneeling, 197 prone, 195 standing) smallbore and a near-perfect 599 (99-100-100-100-100-100) air rifle. Included in the Springfield, Virginia, native's day was a school-record matching 199 kneeling.
 
Sophomore Morgan Phillips finished second in smallbore with a 587 mark, while senior Elizabeth Gratz shot 582 and placed fourth. Sophomore Milica Babic finished in fifth place with a 580 total.
 
Freshman Sarah Osborn tallied 575 and placed ninth. Junior Will Anti shot 568, and sophomore Jack Anderson and redshirt-freshman Noah Barker each shot 566; the mark matched Anderson's season best.
 
Jessica Haig paced the Rebels and finished third overall with a 585 mark.
 
Babic finished second behind Thrasher in air rifle with a 597 score. Gratz shot 594 and placed third, while Phillips, Anti and Barker shot 588 and tied for sixth place; the mark is a career high for Barker.
 
Anderson shot 582 air rifle, and Osborn added a 580 score.
 
Emily Cock paced Ole Miss with a fourth place, 591 showing.
 
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team's scores: Babic, Gratz, Osborn, Phillips and Thrasher.
 
With the win, WVU improves to 14-3 all-time against Ole Miss.
 
The Mountaineers continue their weekend against No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks tomorrow, Jan. 21, at the E.F. Horton Rifle Range, at noon EST.
 
"Today sets us up pretty well for tomorrow," Hammond added. "We'll be in a new venue, and I'm looking for this team to continue its improvement. It's nice to get back in the range immediately and shoot another match. They'll have a chance to make a few changes, and they all know what they want to work on. We're looking forward to the opportunity to continue our improvement."