MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 2-ranked West Virginia University rifle team earned its second win of the weekend with a 4703-4556 victory over Coast Guard this afternoon at Army West Point's Tronsrue Marksmanship Center in West Point, New York.
 
The Mountaineers (8-0, 4-0 GARC) easily swept the discipline competitions, defeating the Bears (0-3) 2330-2238 in smallbore and 2373-2318 air rifle.
 
WVU opened the weekend with a 4712-4658 win over Army West Point on Oct. 27.
 
"There's a resiliency with this team. They've had to deal with different situations and struggles each match," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "Our sport is such a mental sport, and it's easy to get sidetracked by many different things. They're learning they need to be in charge of their mindset and emotions, and that it can be difficult. This weekend was a good test, and we'll continue to work on these things. It's a never-ending process, and we'll never be perfect, but we have a lot to take away from this weekend, including good performances."
 
For the second time in as many days, senior Ginny Thrasher won the individual smallbore competition, matching her season high with a 589 (192 kneeling, 200 prone, 197 standing) total. Included in the Springfield, Virginia, native's day was a program-record matching 200 prone.
 
"This weekend should be a decent confidence boost for Ginny," Hammond noted. "This shows she's working on the right things, and she's able to shoot well, even if things don't feel great on any given day. This should give her encouragement that she's moving in the right direction."
 
Freshman Jared Eddy earned his first career discipline victory with a career-best 596 (99-100-100-99-99-99) air rifle total; the mark is three-shots better than his previous high of 593, shot Oct. 27 in a win over Army West Point.
 
"Jared had a great performance both days, but he finished with a really strong personal best in air rifle today, and it was awesome to see," Hammond said. "It's not easy to shoot two matches on the road like we did this weekend. Today's air match was impressive – he was calm and disciplined, and he dealt with his excitement professionally. It was a very mature performance."
 
Junior Morgan Phillips finished second behind Thrasher in smallbore with a 586 mark. Sophomore David Koenders shot 582 and placed third, while Eddy's total of 579 was good for fourth place. Senior Will Anti finished in fifth place with a 578 mark, sophomore Sarah Osborn shot 576 and finished sixth and junior Milica Babic followed in seventh place with a 570 total. Sophomore Noah Barker shot a season-high 567 and finished in eighth place.
 
Osborn equaled her air rifle career-high score of 595 and finished in second place. Babic placed third with a 594 total, and Koenders finished fourth with a 592 mark.
 
"Sarah is working really hard this year, and she's really improving," Hammond said. "Like Jared, she had her best performance of the weekend in her fourth match at the end of the road trip. This is another great example of working hard, being determined and having a plan. She's showing patience, and she's waiting for the hard work to pay off."
 
Thrasher shot 588 and placed fifth, while Anti totaled 583 for a seventh-place finish. Barker finished in eighth place with a 581.
 
Four Mountaineers counted toward both team scores: Babic, Eddy, Osborn and Thrasher. Phillips counted toward WVU's smallbore score, and Anti shot toward the air rifle mark.
 
The Mountaineers break from action for a week before traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, for a match at No. 3 TCU on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m. EST.