
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Top-10 Battle Slated for Sunday
January 19, 2019 01:13 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a two-month break, the West Virginia University rifle team resumes competition on Sunday, Jan. 20, as the No. 2-ranked Mountaineers line-up for a shoulder-to-shoulder match against No. 7 Ole Miss at 10 a.m. at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Armed with a 10-0 (5-0 GARC) record, the Mountaineers' spring season opener is a Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) match against familiar foes, as Rebels' head coach Marsha Beasley led WVU to eight NCAA tittles (1990-93, 1995-98), and assistant coach Jean-Pierre Lucas won four titles as a student-athlete (14-17).
"In a lot of ways, we always compete against ourselves, but Ole Miss is a GARC opponent, and we enjoy seeing familiar faces," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "We're looking forward to getting back into competition. The team is always looking to use each match as an opportunity to learn and gain experience. I would love to see some great performances, but as this is the first match back, I think Sunday is a chance to see where we stand and what we need to work on."
WVU is 14-3 all-time against Ole Miss (3-5, 2-3 GARC). The Mountaineers finished 2-0 against the Rebels last season, including a 4739-4647 victory on Oct. 21, 2017, in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers concluded their fall season with a 4690-4638 win over NC State on Nov. 17 in Morgantown. Following a holiday break, the team spent 10 days training in South Africa.
"I think the training camp was great and a good chance for us to work on a lot of things after the holiday break," Hammond added. "The trip should give us a good springboard into the spring season. Everyone is excited to compete again."
The Mountaineers enter the match boasting a 4702.25 season average, including averages of 2331.125 smallbore and 2371.125 air rifle. Junior Morgan Phillips ranks No. 2 nationally with a 586.76 smallbore average, while classmate Milica Babic ranks No. 3 nationally with a 595.625 air rifle average.
In its last match, Ole Miss trumped No. 12 Akron, 4685-4640, on Jan. 13, in Columbus, Ohio.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Armed with a 10-0 (5-0 GARC) record, the Mountaineers' spring season opener is a Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) match against familiar foes, as Rebels' head coach Marsha Beasley led WVU to eight NCAA tittles (1990-93, 1995-98), and assistant coach Jean-Pierre Lucas won four titles as a student-athlete (14-17).
"In a lot of ways, we always compete against ourselves, but Ole Miss is a GARC opponent, and we enjoy seeing familiar faces," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "We're looking forward to getting back into competition. The team is always looking to use each match as an opportunity to learn and gain experience. I would love to see some great performances, but as this is the first match back, I think Sunday is a chance to see where we stand and what we need to work on."
WVU is 14-3 all-time against Ole Miss (3-5, 2-3 GARC). The Mountaineers finished 2-0 against the Rebels last season, including a 4739-4647 victory on Oct. 21, 2017, in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers concluded their fall season with a 4690-4638 win over NC State on Nov. 17 in Morgantown. Following a holiday break, the team spent 10 days training in South Africa.
"I think the training camp was great and a good chance for us to work on a lot of things after the holiday break," Hammond added. "The trip should give us a good springboard into the spring season. Everyone is excited to compete again."
The Mountaineers enter the match boasting a 4702.25 season average, including averages of 2331.125 smallbore and 2371.125 air rifle. Junior Morgan Phillips ranks No. 2 nationally with a 586.76 smallbore average, while classmate Milica Babic ranks No. 3 nationally with a 595.625 air rifle average.
In its last match, Ole Miss trumped No. 12 Akron, 4685-4640, on Jan. 13, in Columbus, Ohio.
Players Mentioned
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
















