Saturday, November 23
Annapolis, Md.
8:00 a.m.
West Virginia University
4715
at
4655
Navy
No. 1 Mountaineers End Fall Perfectly
November 23, 2019 07:30 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team concluded its 2019-20 season with its seventh consecutive win, defeating No. 11 Navy, 4715-4655, Saturday afternoon, at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range, in Annapolis, Maryland.
With the victory, the Mountaineers (7-0, 6-0 GARC) move into their winter break with an undefeated record.
West Virginia swept the Midshipmen (7-6, 2-3 GARC), winning smallbore, 2350-2300, and air rifle, 2365-2355. WVU's smallbore mark is a season high, besting its previous total of 2343, which was last shot in the Mountaineers' season opener on Oct. 12.
"We were definitely really happy with smallbore," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "Air rifle wasn't as strong, but it was a great way to finish off the season. It just goes to show that we have progressed throughout the year. We are working really hard right now, and it's great to see that personal bests are still happening throughout the matches."
Senior Morgan Phillips shot a career-best 593 (199 kneeling, 200 prone, 194 standing) smallbore to lead the Mountaineers to their season-best showing. Included in her score on Saturday was a program-record matching 199 kneeling and 200 prone marks.
In air rifle, a trio of Mountaineers finished in a three-way tie for first. Senior Milica Babic (99-100-99-100-99-98), sophomore Verena Zaisberger (98-99-100-99-100-99) and freshman Malori Brown (98-99-100-99-99-100) each shot 595 marks on the day. Of note, Brown recorded a personal best in the tie.
Babic finished behind Phillips in smallbore with a 588. Sophomore Jared Eddy shot a career-high 587 to finish third in smallbore. Junior David Koenders shot 582 and finished in fourth place, while Brown tallied 581 and placed fifth.
Zaisberger shot 580 smallbore and finished sixth, followed by junior Sarah Osborn, who shot 579, and placed seventh, rounding out the Mountaineers in the top 10.
Additionally, freshman Calista Smoyer shot 572, and junior Noah Barker finished with a 571 total.
Michael Zanti paced the Midshipmen and finished eighth overall with a 578 smallbore mark.
In air rifle, Koenders and Osborn tied for fifth with matching 591s. Phillips scored 588, tying for eighth, while Eddy rounded out the Mountaineers in the top 10 with a 587.
Smoyer added a 585 score, and Barker tallied 580.
Gabriella Mayes paced Navy in air rifle with a 594 showing to place fourth.
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team's score: Babic, Eddy, Koenders, Osborn and Phillips.
With the win, WVU improves to 29-8 all-time against the Midshipmen.
The Mountaineers have concluded the fall portion of their 2019-20 schedule and will resume action against the All-Japan University Team on Sunday, Jan. 12, in Tokyo, Japan.
"This semester is not finished yet," Hammond said. "We'll still do a little bit of training in the next couple weeks. A lot of them will shoot Olympic Trails in Colorado, but Christmas break is truly just a break. It will give them a chance to mentally recharge and step away for a little bit. They can think about the things that they need to work on, and how they can continue to improve. No one is perfect, so we'll get ready to work even harder next semester."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
With the victory, the Mountaineers (7-0, 6-0 GARC) move into their winter break with an undefeated record.
West Virginia swept the Midshipmen (7-6, 2-3 GARC), winning smallbore, 2350-2300, and air rifle, 2365-2355. WVU's smallbore mark is a season high, besting its previous total of 2343, which was last shot in the Mountaineers' season opener on Oct. 12.
"We were definitely really happy with smallbore," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "Air rifle wasn't as strong, but it was a great way to finish off the season. It just goes to show that we have progressed throughout the year. We are working really hard right now, and it's great to see that personal bests are still happening throughout the matches."
Senior Morgan Phillips shot a career-best 593 (199 kneeling, 200 prone, 194 standing) smallbore to lead the Mountaineers to their season-best showing. Included in her score on Saturday was a program-record matching 199 kneeling and 200 prone marks.
In air rifle, a trio of Mountaineers finished in a three-way tie for first. Senior Milica Babic (99-100-99-100-99-98), sophomore Verena Zaisberger (98-99-100-99-100-99) and freshman Malori Brown (98-99-100-99-99-100) each shot 595 marks on the day. Of note, Brown recorded a personal best in the tie.
Babic finished behind Phillips in smallbore with a 588. Sophomore Jared Eddy shot a career-high 587 to finish third in smallbore. Junior David Koenders shot 582 and finished in fourth place, while Brown tallied 581 and placed fifth.
Zaisberger shot 580 smallbore and finished sixth, followed by junior Sarah Osborn, who shot 579, and placed seventh, rounding out the Mountaineers in the top 10.
Additionally, freshman Calista Smoyer shot 572, and junior Noah Barker finished with a 571 total.
Michael Zanti paced the Midshipmen and finished eighth overall with a 578 smallbore mark.
In air rifle, Koenders and Osborn tied for fifth with matching 591s. Phillips scored 588, tying for eighth, while Eddy rounded out the Mountaineers in the top 10 with a 587.
Smoyer added a 585 score, and Barker tallied 580.
Gabriella Mayes paced Navy in air rifle with a 594 showing to place fourth.
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team's score: Babic, Eddy, Koenders, Osborn and Phillips.
With the win, WVU improves to 29-8 all-time against the Midshipmen.
The Mountaineers have concluded the fall portion of their 2019-20 schedule and will resume action against the All-Japan University Team on Sunday, Jan. 12, in Tokyo, Japan.
"This semester is not finished yet," Hammond said. "We'll still do a little bit of training in the next couple weeks. A lot of them will shoot Olympic Trails in Colorado, but Christmas break is truly just a break. It will give them a chance to mentally recharge and step away for a little bit. They can think about the things that they need to work on, and how they can continue to improve. No one is perfect, so we'll get ready to work even harder next semester."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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