MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Under the guidance of 13-year coach Jon Hammond, the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team opens the 2018-19 season Saturday, Sept. 29, at Akron.
 
The numbers under Hammond don't lie. Since he assumed the head coaching responsibilities in 2006, the Mountaineers have won six NCAA National Championships, including five straight from 2013-17, 10 individual NCAA titles and nine consecutive Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships.
 
Below are Hammond's thoughts about the Mountaineers' upcoming season and the program he has rebuilt into a national powerhouse.
 
The entire year is a build up to the 2019 NCAA Championships at the WVU Coliseum, which will be the first national championship in any sport hosted by West Virginia University. As the winningest program in NCAA history, this may be a bit overdue and a highly anticipated event. Knowing that the season can be long, how do you temper the team's excitement?
 
With the history of this program, to not only host the NCAA Championships but to also be the first final site of an NCAA Championships for West Virginia University, it's incredibly exciting for our team, our supporters, the WVU Athletic Department and the entire University. I hope this can be a big and great event.
 
Our season will be a lead up to the championships, and our team will need to stay in a bubble as best it can. We'll need to be conscious of the bubble and keep it smaller and tighter throughout the season. It will be tougher as we get closer to the end of the season, but we've had practice. The team is excited, and we hope to have a lot of alumni come back to Morgantown and watch the championships. I think it will be a fantastic way to end the season.
 
This season, you will travel to TCU in the fall and to Kentucky, the reigning NCAA champion, in the spring. Those are always two of your tougher matches. How will those matches in tougher environments help the team prepare for the postseason?
 
Those matches will challenge this team, and that's something we're always hoping to do. We want to shoot against the best teams, and we want to put our team in challenging, difficult situations. Shooting against two of the best teams on the road will push this squad.
 
What types of leadership qualities will seniors Will Anti and Ginny Thrasher bring to the team this year, and what are your expectations for them?
 
I think they will both play an important leadership role, as seniors always do. Will is our team captain, and I think he has really matured and grown over the last few years. He has a great relationship with his teammates, and they really respect him. I think he's going to be able to motivate them and challenge them. I expect him to put his own imprint on this team.
 
Ginny also is going to play an important role. She really sets a great example in how she competes and trains. Her commitment to everything she does is second-to-none. The two of them together is a great leadership combination. I think they'll be able to work well together. I think Ginny has a lot to offer to the younger team members – she will support them while also pushing the upperclassmen.
 
Academically, you lost a great leader in Elizabeth Gratz, the two-time NCAA Elite 90 Award winner. This team always prides itself on its academic success – how do you help the student-athletes find a balance?
 
Will and Ginny are two of our outstanding students, too. Those two have always competed throughout their years. As our senior leaders, they're going to want to continue to set the example, both through their actions and their expectations for their teammates. They have high academic standards, and they're incredibly smart. They both work very hard, and they put the hours in to do well. They care about their grades, and I think they will set the example and expectation for this team. It's a great strength for both.
 
Seven student-athletes return to the team this season – what did they learn last year, and how will the way the season ended impact their outlook in 2018-19?
 
As a team, we learned a lot last year. We had some really great matches, and we had some struggles. I think everyone had personal challenges, too. We learned perseverance and how to put things in perspective, as well as patience, too. Everyone wants success immediately, and you should learn how to manage expectations when things don't go your way.
 
We're an older team this season. We have a good core of upperclassmen. We had a wonderful season last year – we had a lot of success and saw a lot of improvement. We dealt with disappointment at the end, and we had to deal with a lot of different emotions, but I think it all will work in our benefit this year.
 
We will still take things day-by-day and week-by-week. We want to slowly improve and not get ahead of ourselves. We want to do it in a fun way with a good group. We had a great team spirit last year, and we look to carry that on this year.
 
Junior Morgan Phillips is the two-time reigning NCAA smallbore champion. How does she take all the success she has earned in-stride?
 
I think Morgan does a really good job of keeping her feet on the ground. She does really well with her ego – whether it's a good match or a bad match, she doesn't let the result impact her or her ego. She's able to move on easily.
 
Like everyone, Morgan is competitive, wants to do well and works hard. She's found a good place, mentally, and can deal with it. She is in a groove, and as she grows and matures, she's learning a lot more about herself and how to deal with everything.
 
This team is comprised of world-class shooters – Olympic Gold medalists, National Champions and more. Everyone is competitive, too. How does this competitiveness fuel the team's success?
 
It helps, but only if it's managed. We stress that the team comes first, and you have to support your teammates. Absolutely, they're competitive. A lot of the women on this team will compete against each other at national and international matches. Ginny and Morgan have lined up against each other in finals for so many years, and (sophomore) Sarah (Osborn) is about to join them at a lot of national finals. Internationally, (junior) Milica (Babic) is doing great, too.
 
We're OK with this team's competitiveness – you have to have that fire. It's OK to want to beat one of your teammates because it gives you motivation and drive. You have to be able to accept your teammate's success, too, and be happy after the fact. They're all competitors – that's why they're here – and they also should continue to support each other. We have to embrace the competitiveness. You need step away from it at moments, too. It's not easy but very doable.
 
Freshman Jared Eddy joins the team this fall. What role do you see him taking with the team this year?
 
I'm excited for Jared to join us this season. He has a lot of enthusiasm, and his work ethic and passion for the sport are great. I think he's really looking forward to being able to train every day and to compete alongside quality competitors. Like a lot of high schoolers, college opens a lot of opportunities, and I know Jared is enthusiastic about this type of environment. He'll be very motivated.
 
Jared comes into a great situation as a freshman. There aren't any expectations for him – the first year will be a development year and a chance for me to assess and get to know him. He's a blank canvas with a lot of potential - that's exciting for a coaching staff. Equally, I think he is as excited and motivated to work. Jared will add a lot to this team.
 
The team unveiled the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range in February 2018. What advantages does the range bring the team, and how does this program continue to grow and evolve?
 
I think we always need to strive for improvements and see where we can make things better. The mobile range was a massive step forward, and we could host an awesome GARC Championships because of it.
 
I always think there are still improvements to make to the mobile range, and that will continue to evolve. We also are making improvements to the WVU Rifle Range, too – we're putting in new targets to match the mobile range. There are always facility upgrades to be made.
 
When you talk about evolving and improving, a lot of that is placed on myself and (graduate assistant) Soren (Butler). We are constantly looking for new things to work on and new things for a team focus. This team changes every season. Everyone is a year older. We must continue to learn as coaches – new ways to motivate, coach and learn ourselves. It's an on-going process.
 
Many of the Mountaineers competed on the national and international scene over the summer. How does this experience help the student-athletes grow and develop?
 
The international competitions give these student-athletes great experiences and are wonderful learning opportunities. I know everyone who shot over the summer gained a lot of confidence, too. Specifically, I think Morgan made a name for herself this summer and proved she can shoot with some of the sport's elite.
 
Equally, Sarah came on strong this summer and really improved. She was doing a lot of great work and a lot of hard work throughout her freshman season; I just think it took some time for all of that to click into place. She competed well with her age group on a world level, and that should give her a great deal of confidence and the knowledge that all the hard work she's put in has been beneficial. That's what we focus on – the outcome and the process, and not so much the immediate results.