MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team shot 4690 in an NCAA Qualifying Match today at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.
 
Today's score will be added to the Mountaineers' (13-0, 8-0 GARC) ranking average – based on the team's top-three scores shot at three different venues – and will factor into WVU's NCAA Championships qualifying mark.
 
The eight-team field for the 2019 NCAA Championships will be revealed during the NCAA Selection Show on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m., on NCAA.com. The 2019 NCAA Championships will be held March 8-9 at the WVU Coliseum, and tickets are on sale now at NCAA.com/tickets.
 
The Mountaineers finished with marks of 2325 smallbore and 2365 air rifle.
 
"There was a good bit of fight today," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "It wasn't our strongest performance, but people had to dig deep and really focus as much as they could. Everyone put in a professional, hard effort. Ultimately, we've qualified for the NCAA Championships, and that was the main goal.
 
"We'll take some things from today; I think there was a lot learned. While it wasn't our best performance, I think everyone will take something from this match, know what he or she needs to improve or correct and build on that for next week."
 
A pair of underclassmen paced WVU today, as sophomore Sarah Osborn won air rifle with a 594 (100-98-100-100-100-96) total, and freshman Jared Eddy won smallbore with a career-high matching 583 (194 kneeling, 198 prone, 191 standing).
 
Osborn also finished second in smallbore with a 582 mark. A trio of Mountaineers placed third, as senior Ginny Thrasher, junior Morgan Phillips and sophomore David Koenders shot 581.
 
Senior Will Anti finished seventh with a 573 total, including a program-record 200 prone. Sophomore Noah Barker placed ninth with a 571, and junior Milica Babic and freshman Verena Zaisberger tied for 10th place with matching 569s.
 
Zaisberger bounced back in air rifle and finished second overall with a 592 total. Thrasher and Koenders each shot 591 and tied for third place, and Babic placed fifth with a 589.
 
Phillips finished sixth in air rifle with a 588 mark, and Eddy followed in seventh place with a 587. Barker shot 580 and placed ninth, and Anti tallied 578 for 13th place.
 
Five Mountaineers counted toward the team's scores: Babic, Koenders, Osborn, Phillips and Thrasher.
 
Of note, NC State shot alongside the Mountaineers today and finished with a score of 4617.
 
"We're going to have a short week," Hammond noted of the team's turnaround. "We'll try to work on a few things this week – any little improvements. We'll keep the practices short and intense. The matches are coming pretty fast now, and we'll need to be prepared."
 
Up next, WVU shoots for its 10th consecutive Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championship title on Feb. 22-23, at the University of Akron's Stile Athletics Field House in Akron, Ohio.