Saturday, October 12
Lincoln, Neb.
10:00 a.m.
West Virginia University
4719
at
4642
Nebraska
No. 1 Mountaineers Win Opener
October 13, 2019 12:07 AM | Rifle
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The top-ranked West Virginia University rifle team opened the 2019-20 season with a 4719-4642 win at Nebraska Saturday evening, held inside the Nebraska Rifle Range, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Mountaineers (1-0, 1-0) swept the Huskers (1-1, 0-1) in both disciplines, winning smallbore, 2343-2291, and air rifle, 2376-2351.
"I'm pleased with our team performance," 14-year coach Jon Hammond said. "It shows the depth we have this year, which is great. Despite the score, there are still a lot of areas for improvement, and that's what we'll focus on as we move forward; how we can improve and get better."
Senior Milica Babic won the individual competitions, shooting 590 in smallbore (196 kneeling, 200 prone, 194 standing) and 598 in air rifle (100-99-99-100-100-100).
"Milica's performance stood out today, being the top scorer in both events and having a career-high combined score," Hammond said. "She has been working hard and has really made improvements over the summer, which is great to see.
"It also was nice to see the freshmen start their careers. I think Calista had a personal best in air rifle, and Malori had a very solid smallbore performance. Akihito got some great experience, and we're excited to see what he can do in more matches. They all had some nerves, but that's to be expected for the first match."
Eight Mountaineers finished inside the top 10 in both the smallbore and air rifle standings.
Senior Morgan Phillips finished second in smallbore with a 589 mark (199 kneeling, 197 prone, 193 standing), while sophomore Jared Eddy placed third with a career-high mark of 585 (195 kneeling, 197 prone, 193 standing).
In her Mountaineer debut, Malori Brown, a freshman from China Spring, Texas, earned a top-five finish in smallbore, placing fourth with a 582 mark (193 kneeling, 197 prone, 192 standing). Junior Sarah Osborn finished fifth, shooting a total of 580 (194 kneeling, 197 prone, 189 standing).
Freshman Akihito Shimizu finished sixth (579), junior David Koenders tied for seventh (578) and sophomore Verena Zaisberger tied for ninth with a mark of 574 to round out the Mountaineers in the top 10.
Additional Mountaineer smallbore marks included a 567 for junior Noah Barker and a 562 for freshman Calista Smoyer, placing 16th and 18th, respectively.
WVU's Zaisberger finished third in air rifle with a total of 594 (98-100-99-100-99-98). Osborn (98-100-97-100-99-99) and Smoyer (99-99-98-100-98-99) each shot a 593 and tied for fourth to round out the Mountaineers in the top five.
Koenders finished sixth on the team with a 591 air rifle mark. Phillips and Eddy tied for seventh with a 590 total, and Shimizu shot 589, finishing in ninth.
Additional Mountaineer air rifle marks included a 582 for Brown and 580 for Barker, finishing in 15th and 17th place, respectively.
Babic, Koenders and Shimizu shot toward the Mountaineers' smallbore and air rifle scores. Eddy and Phillips contributed to WVU's smallbore total, and Osborn and Zaisberger aided the air rifle mark.
With the win, WVU improves to 15-3 all-time against the Huskers.
"Overall, a successful trip and first match," Hammond said. "We're looking forward to working hard for the next match against reigning NCAA National Champion TCU."
The Mountaineers break from action for a week before opening their home season with a match against TCU, the 2019 NCAA National Champion, on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 10 a.m., at the WVU Rifle Range, in Morgantown.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Mountaineers (1-0, 1-0) swept the Huskers (1-1, 0-1) in both disciplines, winning smallbore, 2343-2291, and air rifle, 2376-2351.
"I'm pleased with our team performance," 14-year coach Jon Hammond said. "It shows the depth we have this year, which is great. Despite the score, there are still a lot of areas for improvement, and that's what we'll focus on as we move forward; how we can improve and get better."
Senior Milica Babic won the individual competitions, shooting 590 in smallbore (196 kneeling, 200 prone, 194 standing) and 598 in air rifle (100-99-99-100-100-100).
"Milica's performance stood out today, being the top scorer in both events and having a career-high combined score," Hammond said. "She has been working hard and has really made improvements over the summer, which is great to see.
"It also was nice to see the freshmen start their careers. I think Calista had a personal best in air rifle, and Malori had a very solid smallbore performance. Akihito got some great experience, and we're excited to see what he can do in more matches. They all had some nerves, but that's to be expected for the first match."
Eight Mountaineers finished inside the top 10 in both the smallbore and air rifle standings.
Senior Morgan Phillips finished second in smallbore with a 589 mark (199 kneeling, 197 prone, 193 standing), while sophomore Jared Eddy placed third with a career-high mark of 585 (195 kneeling, 197 prone, 193 standing).
In her Mountaineer debut, Malori Brown, a freshman from China Spring, Texas, earned a top-five finish in smallbore, placing fourth with a 582 mark (193 kneeling, 197 prone, 192 standing). Junior Sarah Osborn finished fifth, shooting a total of 580 (194 kneeling, 197 prone, 189 standing).
Freshman Akihito Shimizu finished sixth (579), junior David Koenders tied for seventh (578) and sophomore Verena Zaisberger tied for ninth with a mark of 574 to round out the Mountaineers in the top 10.
Additional Mountaineer smallbore marks included a 567 for junior Noah Barker and a 562 for freshman Calista Smoyer, placing 16th and 18th, respectively.
WVU's Zaisberger finished third in air rifle with a total of 594 (98-100-99-100-99-98). Osborn (98-100-97-100-99-99) and Smoyer (99-99-98-100-98-99) each shot a 593 and tied for fourth to round out the Mountaineers in the top five.
Koenders finished sixth on the team with a 591 air rifle mark. Phillips and Eddy tied for seventh with a 590 total, and Shimizu shot 589, finishing in ninth.
Additional Mountaineer air rifle marks included a 582 for Brown and 580 for Barker, finishing in 15th and 17th place, respectively.
Babic, Koenders and Shimizu shot toward the Mountaineers' smallbore and air rifle scores. Eddy and Phillips contributed to WVU's smallbore total, and Osborn and Zaisberger aided the air rifle mark.
With the win, WVU improves to 15-3 all-time against the Huskers.
"Overall, a successful trip and first match," Hammond said. "We're looking forward to working hard for the next match against reigning NCAA National Champion TCU."
The Mountaineers break from action for a week before opening their home season with a match against TCU, the 2019 NCAA National Champion, on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 10 a.m., at the WVU Rifle Range, in Morgantown.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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