CHARLESTON, S.C. – A championship showing in air rifle by the top-ranked West Virginia University rifle team was not enough to overcome an 18-shot deficit, as the Mountaineers finished in second place at the 2018 NCAA Rifle Championships with a 4708 aggregate total, shot this afternoon inside The Citadel's McAlister Field House.
 
The Mountaineers claimed the team air rifle National Championship, its sixth straight, with a 2381 total.
 
"I love this team's heart and its fight," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "I was proud of this team all year. We had a great team this year. We broke records and had a wonderful year. We came down here and shot our best, and that was our goal.
 
"This team came back out today after a struggle yesterday, even though I felt everyone did their best, and they had a great match today. Three qualified for the final, two made the podium and we came so close to having a second national champion. They had a great match today, it just wasn't enough."  
 
No. 4-ranked Kentucky claimed the 2018 NCAA National Championship with a 4717 mark. No. 2-ranked TCU finished third with a 4701 score, and No. 3 Murray State placed fourth with a 4684 total.
 
Air Force shot 4669 and placed fifth, while Alaska-Fairbanks finished sixth with a 4667 score. Ohio State (4664) and Nebraska (4655) finished seventh and eighth overall.
 
A trio of Mountaineers qualified for the air rifle final, and two advanced to the podium. Senior Elizabeth Gratz finished second in the final with a 247.3, and junior Ginny Thrasher placed third with a 226.4 score. Sophomore Milica Babic finished in sixth place with a 163.8 mark.
 
"It was great to see those three in the final, Elizabeth especially, as she's our only senior," Hammond said. "I was rooting for her. She had a great start, hung in there and was so close to winning the final. It would have been an amazing way for her to finish her career, but today's overall performance was a great way for her to finish her four years."
 
Kentucky's Henrik Larsen edged Gratz for the air rifle title with a 249.4 score.
 
Babic was the day's high qualifier, as she tied TCU's Mindy Miles for first place with a 598 (99-100-100-100-100-99) total. Thrasher qualified in third place, shooting 597 (99-100-100-99-100-99), while Gratz shot 594 (99-99-100-99-99-98) and was the final student-athlete to make the eight-person final.
 
In the day's first relay, sophomore Morgan Phillips, the 2018 NCAA smallbore champion, shot 592 (99-99-97-99-99-99) and finished in 10th place. Redshirt-freshman David Koenders finished 13th overall with a 591 (98-100-98-99-96-100) total.
 
TCU finished second in today's air rifle competition with a 2375 team total, while UK shot 2372 and finished in third place.
 
The nine-time reigning Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) champions, WVU finished the 2017-18 season with a 13-0 overall record and an 9-0 conference mark.
 
This weekend's championship was the career finale for Gratz.
 
"This was a record-breaking season," Hammond added. "We broke every team record out there – smallbore, air rifle and combined. We had a great team atmosphere, and it's been a lot of fun for me. I don't want this team to be defined by one weekend and coming up short to a fantastic Kentucky performance. It's been a great year, and we'll move on to the next year."
 
National Rifle Association (NRA) and College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America honors will be awarded later this weekend.