MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team features a pair of seniors in Will Anti and Ginny Thrasher. Though both student-athletes have experienced vastly different careers as Mountaineers, the duo has achieved one feat together – they have never lost a regular-season match in their four years at WVU.
 
With their collegiate careers ending, both student-athletes have started to reflect on their time as Mountaineers.
 
Thrasher, a native of Springfield, Virginia, is easily one of the most accomplished athletes in program history. The first freshman to sweep the individual titles at the NCAA Championships, Thrasher claimed the first Gold medal of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games with a win in the women's 10m air rifle. Over the years, she also has earned USA Shooting Athlete of the Year honors and been a finalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award.
 
A champion in the classroom, too, Thrasher is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team honoree, and in 2018, she was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
 
Below, Thrasher reveals a few of her favorite moments during her time at WVU and offers advice for the athletes who hope to one day walk in her footsteps.   
 
Thrasher Bio
 
Saturday is the final home match for you before the 2019 NCAA Championships, March 8-9 at the WVU Coliseum. Are you able to summarize what your four years at WVU have meant?
 
I'm really proud to be an athlete at WVU and to have worn the Gold and Blue for the last four years. It's something I will always look back at and remember as an amazing experience.
 
I remember my freshman year and experiencing my first NCAA Qualifying Match. It's always our Senior Day, and I remember thinking, 'I never want to leave.' It's here now, and I'm really happy I have had the last four years and that I can continue shooting after graduation.
 
What have you learned from all the senior teammates who came before you, and how have those lessons developed you into a senior leader?
 
I think everyone on the team has something to teach you. It's been amazing. When I was a freshman, I looked up to that senior class a lot. Even now, I think about some of the things they did and how they acted. I still look back at all the seniors we've had and recognize how they've influenced me as I've become a senior member on the team.
 
There have been so many career highlights for you over the last four seasons. What is the one moment that sticks out the most?
 
I think the NCAA Championships is always a great bonding experience, and it changes a little every year as the team changes. We always do a team activity the night before the championships, and it's always a great bonding experience. We reflect on how the season has gone, and we think about what we want to do the next day. It's always a special time.
 
While your career at WVU is ending, there's still a lot of competition in front of you. What are you hoping to accomplish before you leave Morgantown?
 
I want to take every day one at a time and bring 100 percent effort to each day. We've talked a lot about legacy this year, and I want to put some finishing touches on my legacy – not just scores, but also how the team and the WVU community remembers me. I want to be able to give it my all these last few weeks and do the best I can.
 
How has attending WVU helped shape you into the person you want to be outside of athletics?
 
I think one thing WVU and the surrounding Morgantown community has shown me is pride – pride in the community and pride in the school. Over the last four years, I have seen a lot of pride from others toward this team and me, and it makes me really want to improve myself and be the best version of myself. I want to take that same pride in myself, my actions and everything around me.
 
How has coach Jon Hammond influenced your life?
 
I think Jon is a fantastic coach. He really cares about the athletes as people. Obviously, he wants me to shoot great scores every day, but he also cares about the academics and the team relations. He wants us each to be a good person when we graduate – a person who gives back to the community. As you go through your four years at WVU, you really grow and become independent. Jon fosters a great learning environment.
 
What's one piece of advice you would give a young athlete who hopes to also shoot collegiately?
 
I think you have to be really passionate about the sport and practice every day. It's not about trying to be the best in the state, the country or the world. It's about trying to be the best you can be and seeing where your potential lies. If you go out every day and try to reach your potential, the truth is your potential gets higher every day, too, and you'll never stop improving. It's a really awesome feeling.
 
The No. 1 Mountaineers will shoot an NCAA Qualifying Match on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m., at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building. Admission is free and open to the public.