MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 2-ranked West Virginia University rifle team continues its homestand against No. 9 Navy on Saturday, Jan. 26, with action set to begin at 10 a.m. at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Saturday is the home regular-season finale for the Mountaineers (11-0, 6-0 GARC).
"We've had a good week of practice; the team has been very focused inside the range," Mountaineer coach
Jon Hammond said. "I think everyone is ready to get back down to the Bill McKenzie Range and shoot another match. Everyone will be looking to improve on personal goals from last week, and overall we're just looking for another solid performance. Each match is a learning opportunity."
For the second consecutive meet, WVU will see a familiar face Saturday, as the Midshipmen (8-4, 4-2 GARC) are led by former Mountaineer All-American Mike Anti, the father of senior
Will Anti and a member of the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. The Mountaineers are 27-8 all-time against Navy, with the last meeting resulting in a 4733-4656 win for WVU on Jan. 26, 2018, in Morgantown.
WVU opened its spring season on Jan. 20, earning a 4703-4665 victory over No. 7 Ole Miss at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range. Sophomore
David Koenders paced the Mountaineers, winning smallbore outright with a season-high score of 585 and tying teammates
Milica Babic and
Verena Zaisberger for the air rifle victory with a season-best 594 mark.
"We'll have some changes with our lineup again this weekend," Hammond noted. "Any time an athlete gets the opportunity to shoot on the counting team, it's beneficial. This time of year, we're getting closer and closer to the end of the season, and we have healthy competition for our counting spots."
Junior
Morgan Phillips continues to rank No. 2 nationally with a 586.667 smallbore season average, while senior
Ginny Thrasher follows at No. 4 with a 585.0 average. Junior
Milica Babic ranks a team-high fourth nationally with a 595.444 air rifle average, and Thrasher follows at No. 6 with a 594.125 average.
The Midshipmen are coming off a 1-1 showing in Lincoln, Nebraska, last week. Navy opened with a 4650-4652 loss to No. 10 Nebraska on Jan. 18 before bouncing back with a 4644-4625 win over NC State on Jan. 19.
