MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team extended its season win streak to 12 with a 4733-4656 victory over Navy today at the WVU Rifle Range.
 
Shooting in a rescheduled match, the Mountaineers (12-0, 8-0 GARC) defeated the Midshipmen (3-4, 2-4 GARC) in both disciplines, wining smallbore, 2351-2319, and air rifle, 2382-2337.
 
"The team had to deal with a bit of adversity today and a few match delays, and despite a little tiredness that carried over from our trip to Alaska, they each put forth their best effort," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "Everyone worked hard throughout the day, and we had some really good individual performances."
 
Sophomore Morgan Phillips won smallbore today with a career-high 592 (197 kneeling, 199 prone, 196 standing), two shots better than her previous best.
 
"Morgan's been working hard and trying to get everything back from last semester. Today, it all came together, and she shot a great match," Hammond noted. "She shot a personal best with an exceptional score. It was a great showing from her today."
 
Senior Elizabeth Gratz finished second with a season-high matching 588. Junior Ginny Thrasher shot 586 and placed third, while sophomore Milica Babic finished in fourth place with a 585.
 
Redshirt-freshman David Koenders finished seventh with a 579, and junior Will Anti placed ninth with a 577. Freshman Noah Barker shot 574, freshman Sarah Osborn added a 572 mark and sophomore Jack Anderson added 561.
 
A pair of Mountaineers matched the program's prone record today, too, as Anti and Koenders each shot 200.
 
Torrance Kang paced Navy with a 584 mark.
 
In air rifle, Thrasher finished with a winning 597 (100-100-100-99-99-99) total. Koenders shot 596 and placed second, while Babic finished third with a 595 mark.
 
Gratz and Phillips tied for fourth place with 594s, and Anti placed sixth with a 592. Barker set a career high in air rifle for the third straight match with a 591, good enough for a share of seventh place. Osborn shot 583 and finished ninth, while Anderson shot 581 and placed 12th overall.
 
"Noah is continuing to improve week-by-week," Hammond added. "So much of it is on the mental side of the sport. He is a lot more disciplined and is showing greater maturity as an athlete."
 
Kang paced Navy and tied Barker for seventh place with a 591 score.
 
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team's scores: Babic, Gratz, Koenders, Phillips and Thrasher.
 
With the win, WVU improves to 27-8 all-time against Navy.
 
The Mountaineers conclude their regular-season slate and shoot for their fifth straight and conference-best 11th Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season title against No. 3 Kentucky on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m., at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range at the indoor track inside the WVU Shell Building.