MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team concluded its 2018-19 fall season with its 10th consecutive win, defeating NC State, 4690-4638, this afternoon at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.
 
With the victory, the Mountaineers (10-0, 5-0 GARC) move into their season break with an undefeated record.
 
WVU swept the Wolfpack (3-4, 2-4 GARC), winning smallbore, 2328-2295, and air rifle, 2362-2343.
 
Junior Milica Babic paced the Mountaineers and earned both individual victories, shooting 584 smallbore (192 kneeling, 197 prone, 195 standing) and 594 air rifle (98-99-99-99-100-99). The smallbore total was the Belgrade, Serbia, native's best mark since shooting a season-high 589 on Oct. 21.
 
"I think in smallbore, we had a number of steady performances," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "I was pleased to see Milica have a good, solid match today. She's been working on a few things, and I think today should be a good confidence boost for her. I think everyone had a lot of good bits throughout their match, and it was a fairly steady overall smallbore performance."
 
Classmate Morgan Phillips also shot 584 smallbore (195 kneeling, 197 prone, 192 standing) and tied Babic for the win.
 
Sophomore Sarah Osborn finished in third place with a 582 total, and freshman Jared Eddy followed in fourth place with a 578 score. Sophomores David Koenders and Noah Barker shot 577 and 567, respectively, and finished in fifth and 10th place.
 
Will Marciniak paced NCSU with a sixth place, 576 showing.
 
Phillips followed Babic in air rifle with a 590, second-place showing. Osborn and Koenders tied for third place with matching 589 scores, and Eddy finished in fifth place with a 587 mark. Barker shot 573 and placed 12th.
 
The Wolfpacks' Kendra Jacobs and Emily Fisher tied Eddy for fifth place with team-best 587 scores.
 
Five Mountaineers shot toward the team totals: Babic, Eddy, Koenders, Osborn and Phillips.
 
"It's been a long semester, and we've had a lot of matches in the last month," Hammond noted. "I think this has been a good learning experience for the team – we're learning how to deal with a little bit of fatigue. No one quit; everyone kept working throughout the match. We faded a bit in air rifle, but everyone worked through it. No one shot badly today, maybe just one or two shots below their average.
 
"Overall, it's been a good semester, and we're ready for a break."
 
With the win, WVU improves to 20-0 all-time against the Wolfpack.
 
Following today's match, the Mountaineers held a meet-and-greet with fans.
 
"It was great to have the spectators at the match today," Hammond added. "There were a lot of kids here, including younger rifle athletes. We were happy to meet with them after the match. Hopefully, these student-athletes are role models for younger rifle athletes. They set a good example and work really hard."
 
Next up for WVU is a training trip to Magaliesburg, South Africa, Dec. 28 – Jan. 8.
 
The Mountaineers will resume their regular-season slate against Mississippi on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m., at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range.