MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 2-ranked West Virginia University rifle team extended its season win streak to 12 with a 4706-4660 win over No. 9 Navy this afternoon at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.
 
The Mountaineers (12-0, 7-0 GARC) have not lost a regular-season match since falling, 4705-4706, at Alaska-Fairbanks on Feb. 1, 2015.
 
WVU swept the Midshipmen (8-5, 4-3 GARC), winning smallbore, 2332-2307, and air rifle, 2374-2353.
 
"We had a really good week in practice this week," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "We talked a lot about the mental side of the sport and match preparation. I think overall, the student-athletes did a really good job managing their nerves and excitement. That was great to see, as it's exactly what they'll see at the NCAA Championships. Learning how to deal with excitement and also having a good performance is promising."
 
A pair of Mountaineers earned the individual victories. Senior Ginny Thrasher finished first in air rifle with a 597 (99-100-100-99-100-99) total, her second-best mark of the season and top air rifle score since shooting a season-best 599 on Oct. 14. Junior Morgan Phillips returned to the smallbore lineup following a week of rest and shot a winning 587 (196 kneeling, 199 prone, 192 standing).
 
Michael Zanti paced Navy in smallbore and finished fourth overall with a 580 total.
 
Thrasher and junior David Koenders tied for second in smallbore with matching 584 marks, and freshman Jared Eddy placed fifth with a 579. Junior Milica Babic shot 577 and placed seventh, while sophomore Sarah Osborn finished eighth with a 576 total. Senior Will Anti shot 565.
 
In air rifle, Koenders shot a season-high 596 and finished second overall. The Mossautal, Germany, native previously shot a season-best 594 in a first-place finish on Jan. 20. Osborn finished third with a 591 mark, and Babic followed in fourth place with a 590. Eddy shot 589 and finished in sixth place, while Anti placed 10th with a 584 total.
 
Kestrel Kuhne paced Navy in air rifle and finished tied for fourth place with a 590 mark.
 
"David had a really good day, and it was great to have Morgan back – she shot a really strong smallbore match," Hammond noted. "Ginny was a lot happier today, too. That's what we want this semester – we want to see upward trending. We'll take lessons from this match, and we're looking forward to a solid two weeks of practice."
 
Babic, Koenders, Osborn and Thrasher shot toward the Mountaineers' smallbore and air rifle scores. Phillips contributed to WVU's smallbore total, and Eddy aided the air rifle mark.
 
With the win, WVU moves to 28-8 all-time against Navy.
 
The Mountaineers conclude their 2018-19 regular season at No. 3-ranked Kentucky, the reigning NCAA Champion, on Saturday, Feb. 9, with action set to begin at 8 a.m.