Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
No. 1 Mountaineers Earn NCAA Bid
February 21, 2018 05:33 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked Mountaineers have earned the chance to defend their NCAA title, as the West Virginia University rifle team has qualified for the 2018 NCAA National Championships, as announced this evening by the NCAA Rifle Committee.
The Citadel will play host to the championships March 9-10, at McAlister Field House in Charleston, South Carolina.
The qualification is the 11th straight for the five-time defending National Champion Mountaineers (13-0, 9-0 GARC). WVU owns a nation-best 19 national titles and have won six under 12-year coach Jon Hammond. Sophomores Morgan Phillips and Milica Babic are the reigning NCAA smallbore and air rifle champions, respectively.
"We're excited to qualify for the NCAA National Championships, especially in the No. 1 spot," Hammond said. "We've had a great season. The team continues to push the limits and set national records, which is a huge credit to how hard each of these student-athletes has worked.
"Right now, we have to stay focused on this weekend and the GARC Championships. This match will be a great preparation for the NCAA Championships, and we're excited to again shoot at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range. We'll turn our attention to the NCAA Championships soon enough."
The Mountaineers qualified as the field's top team with a 9448 qualification mark, based on the team's qualifying average of 4737 and its qualifying score of 4711, earned on Feb. 17 at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range.
Joining the Mountaineers at the championship are: TCU, Murray State, Kentucky, Alaska-Fairbanks, Air Force, Ohio State and Nebraska.
The teams earned championship bids based on the average of their three highest regular-season aggregate scores, with each score recorded at a different range. The average of the three scores was then added to the aggregate total from the team's designated qualifier to determine the final field.
A total of 48 competitors will compete at the championships, with eight selected as individual qualifiers. An NCAA rule established four years ago stipulates that a school that qualifies as a team is disqualified from sending individual qualifiers.
The Mountaineers, the 2018 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season champions, play host to the 2018 GARC Championships this weekend on Feb. 24-25, at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building. Admission is free and open to the public.
The Citadel will play host to the championships March 9-10, at McAlister Field House in Charleston, South Carolina.
The qualification is the 11th straight for the five-time defending National Champion Mountaineers (13-0, 9-0 GARC). WVU owns a nation-best 19 national titles and have won six under 12-year coach Jon Hammond. Sophomores Morgan Phillips and Milica Babic are the reigning NCAA smallbore and air rifle champions, respectively.
"We're excited to qualify for the NCAA National Championships, especially in the No. 1 spot," Hammond said. "We've had a great season. The team continues to push the limits and set national records, which is a huge credit to how hard each of these student-athletes has worked.
"Right now, we have to stay focused on this weekend and the GARC Championships. This match will be a great preparation for the NCAA Championships, and we're excited to again shoot at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range. We'll turn our attention to the NCAA Championships soon enough."
The Mountaineers qualified as the field's top team with a 9448 qualification mark, based on the team's qualifying average of 4737 and its qualifying score of 4711, earned on Feb. 17 at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range.
Joining the Mountaineers at the championship are: TCU, Murray State, Kentucky, Alaska-Fairbanks, Air Force, Ohio State and Nebraska.
The teams earned championship bids based on the average of their three highest regular-season aggregate scores, with each score recorded at a different range. The average of the three scores was then added to the aggregate total from the team's designated qualifier to determine the final field.
A total of 48 competitors will compete at the championships, with eight selected as individual qualifiers. An NCAA rule established four years ago stipulates that a school that qualifies as a team is disqualified from sending individual qualifiers.
The Mountaineers, the 2018 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season champions, play host to the 2018 GARC Championships this weekend on Feb. 24-25, at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building. Admission is free and open to the public.
Players Mentioned
/ Rifle
/ Rifle
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, September 30
Life as a Mountaineer - Jared Eddy
Wednesday, March 24
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, January 14
