MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Hard work and dedication is nothing new to senior Elizabeth Gratz. After committing four outstanding years to the West Virginia University rifle team, she will graduate with the skills needed to have a prosperous future. A marketing major from Sigel, Illinois, Gratz is a great role model in and out of the range.
 
She quickly found success after joining the Shelby County Junior Rifle Club, which lead her to become an eight-time state rifle champion.
 
"I started shooting my eighth-grade year through 4-H. My county back home had a 4-H Junior Rifle Club, so that's how I got started," Gratz said. "They had a laser gun set up at the fair every year, so I shot that for a couple years. I had fun, then I joined the club."
 
Gratz has had a lot of supporters throughout her time shooting rifle. Her parents, James and Rachel Gratz, provided the encouragement and structure she needed to excel in the sport. Her father particularly has had a huge influence within her career.
 
"When I first started shooting, the club only practiced once a week so I practiced a lot at home and my dad was really my coach until I started in college," said Gratz.
 
Before attending college, Gratz had a firm idea of where she wanted to compete.
 
"I really wanted to go somewhere where I could get better," Gratz explained. "I didn't want to go somewhere and be the best shooter on the team. I wanted to go to a place where I would be challenged to get better and learn from everybody on the team."
 
With her goals in mind, she chose WVU to continue her career in rifle. Since then, she has been coached by Jon Hammond and says that he's had a big influence on her success.
 
"He does a great job of pushing all of us and bringing different viewpoints to the table whenever we're struggling with a position," she mentioned.
 
Competing alongside other great shooters also has helped Gratz during her time as a Mountaineer.
 
"Everyone on the team is a great athlete, and we often have different viewpoints or opinions on things, so it's great to be able to be open minded," she added.
 
Spending time in the range is important, but Gratz recognizes that spending time in the classroom is just as significant. The two-time reigning Elite 90 Award winner for NCAA Division 1 Rifle, Gratz also is a four-time Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Scholar-Athlete winner, and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree. Additionally, she is a two-time College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) All-Academic Team honoree, as well as a member of the President's List, Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.
 
After she graduates this May, Gratz plans to pursue a Ph.D. in marketing and says she is really looking forward to being in graduate school and doing research.
 
Throughout her time at WVU, the team captain says that she has learned many important lessons.
 
"One of the most important lessons is definitely to be open minded and willing to try new things," she explained.
 
With one match left in her WVU rifle career, Gratz is reminiscing on all the experiences she's gained. She believes that she has not only progressed competitively but also on the mental side of the sport. Last year, she shot an NCAA- and school-record 600 air rifle at Kentucky, becoming the third Mountaineer in program history to attain the perfect mark.
 
"That match was really special to me. Six hundreds don't happen very often, but more importantly for me, was knowing that I had the capability of focusing on the things I needed to focus on for an entire match," Gratz explained.
 
The nine-time All-American earned praise from her peers at the 2018 GARC Championships banquet, as she was named the GARC Outstanding Senior and recognized in front of her teammates and opponents.
 
Elizabeth Gratz' success is hard to put into words, but during her four years, she has set an example for her younger teammates and future Mountaineers that hard work and dedication pays off in the end.
 
 
The No. 1-ranked Mountaineers shoot for their sixth straight and nation-best 20th national title this weekend at the 2018 NCAA Rifle Championships, March 9-10, at The Citadel's McAlister Field House, in Charleston, South Carolina.