MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The top-ranked West Virginia University rifle team jumped out to a comfortable lead at the 2018 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships today, shooting 2333 smallbore this afternoon at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.
 
The Mountaineers (13-0, 9-0 GARC) have claimed the last three GARC team smallbore titles.
 
"Today was a good, solid performance," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "It's a tough environment – we had a lot of people here. All the team members had some solid parts of their matches and solid performances. For some of them, their scores didn't reflect how happy they were with their performances. Some of them struggled a bit, but they did all the right things. They worked through the things they had to work through. Overall, this was a solid day, and we'll be ready to refocus for tomorrow."
 
Three top-eight marks from Mountaineers helped push WVU toward its large lead, as senior Elizabeth Gratz, the 2018 GARC Outstanding Senior, junior Ginny Thrasher and sophomore Morgan Phillips all qualified for the discipline final.
 
At the end of the final, only Thrasher and Phillips remained at the line. Thrasher earned the victory today, as she claimed her second career GARC smallbore title and first since 2016 with a 454.8 mark. Phillips finished second with a 453.9 total. Gratz shot 396.4 and placed seventh.
 
"It's always great to have three Mountaineers in the final," Hammond noted. "We've come to expect it a little bit in the last few years, but I never want us to become complacent. Naturally, it's satisfying for myself as a coach and for them as athletes to make the final and gain experience.
 
"(Ginny and Morgan) have a great smallbore competition. It's become a pattern for these two. It's great for them to have that competition. They push each other to make each other better."
 
No. 4-ranked Kentucky sits in second place with a 2319 score, and No. 10 Navy is third with a 2315 total. NC State is fourth with a 2308 total, and No. 8 Nebraska follows in fifth place with a 2306 mark.
 
Army West Point sits sixth with a 2293 score and Akron is seventh with a 2292 total. Memphis (2291) and Ole Miss (2289) follow in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
 
Phillips entered the final in first place, shooting 586 (194 kneeling, 198 prone, 194 standing) in the second smallbore relay. Gratz shot 585 and ranked No. 4 for the final with the match's second-best score. Thrasher entered the final in sixth place with a 583 mark.
 
Redshirt-freshman David Koenders just missed qualifying for the final, as he placed 10th with a 579 total. Junior Will Anti shot 576 and placed 19th, and freshman Sarah Osborn tied for 21st with a 575 total.
 
Redshirt-freshman Noah Barker shot 569, and sophomore Jack Anderson shot 565.
 
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team's scores: Phillips, Gratz, Thrasher, Koenders and Osborn.
 
Of note, WVU is competing without the services of sophomore Milica Babic, who is representing Serbia at the 2018 European Championships.
 
The 2018 GARC Championships concludes on Sunday with three air rifle relays, the air rifle final and the award ceremony. Action begins at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range at 8 a.m.