Saturday, February 9
Lexington, KY
8:00 AM
West Virginia University
at
Kentucky
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
GARC Regular-Season Title Up for Grabs
February 08, 2019 03:27 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The last two NCAA Rifle National Champions will battle for the Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season crown Saturday, as No. 4 West Virginia travels to Lexington, Kentucky, for a shoulder-to-shoulder match at No. 4 Kentucky, with action at the UK Range set to begin at 8 a.m.
The Wildcats (11-0, 7-0 GARC) are the reigning National Champions, while the Mountaineers (12-0, 7-0 GARC) won five consecutive crowns from 2013-17.
The first trophy of the 2018-19 season will be awarded Saturday, as both undefeated teams will be vying for the GARC regular-season title.
"There will be an excitement level to this match, but once we begin Saturday morning, we have to be focused on ourselves 100 percent," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "This is a challenge, but it will be good for this team. We'll need to be prepared Saturday – we're competing against a rival for a conference championship."
WVU is the five-time reigning GARC conference champion and has earned the title 11 times in program history. The final regular-season match of the season, a win also would secure the Mountaineers' fourth consecutive undefeated season.
Kentucky's last GARC regular-season title came in 2013, the last of three consecutive championships.
"I don't think we're thinking too much about the regular-season title," Hammond noted. "We obviously want to approach all matches the same, but we know we're close to the end of the season and going up against a great team. We're embracing that there is something extra to this match, and the way we prepare for Saturday will help us with future challenges.
"We want a really good, solid performance from this team Saturday. We want to shoot the best possible score we can and continue the momentum we've gained this semester."
WVU is 19-9 all-time against UK.
Last time out, WVU earned a 4706-4660 win over No. 9 Navy at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building. Senior Ginny Thrasher finished first in air rifle with a 597 total, her second-best mark of the season, and junior Morgan Phillips won smallbore with a 587 score. WVU swept the Midshipmen, winning smallbore, 2332-2307, and air rifle, 2374-2353.
Phillips ranks No. 2 nationally in smallbore with a 591.5 season average. Thrasher ranks No. 4 with a 584.889 average.
A pair of Mountaineers are nationally ranked in the top five in air rifle. Junior Milica Babic checks in at No. 4 with a 594.9 season average, and Thrasher closely follows at No. 5 with a 594.444 average.
The Wildcats are coming off a 4689-4647 win over Ohio State on Jan. 27, in Columbus, Ohio. Senior Hanna Carr won smallbore with a 585 mark, while freshman Will Shaner shot 594 for the air rifle victory.
Shaner ranks No. 1 nationally with a 596.6 air rifle average and No. 11 in smallbore with a 581.8 average.
The Wildcats (11-0, 7-0 GARC) are the reigning National Champions, while the Mountaineers (12-0, 7-0 GARC) won five consecutive crowns from 2013-17.
The first trophy of the 2018-19 season will be awarded Saturday, as both undefeated teams will be vying for the GARC regular-season title.
"There will be an excitement level to this match, but once we begin Saturday morning, we have to be focused on ourselves 100 percent," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "This is a challenge, but it will be good for this team. We'll need to be prepared Saturday – we're competing against a rival for a conference championship."
WVU is the five-time reigning GARC conference champion and has earned the title 11 times in program history. The final regular-season match of the season, a win also would secure the Mountaineers' fourth consecutive undefeated season.
Kentucky's last GARC regular-season title came in 2013, the last of three consecutive championships.
"I don't think we're thinking too much about the regular-season title," Hammond noted. "We obviously want to approach all matches the same, but we know we're close to the end of the season and going up against a great team. We're embracing that there is something extra to this match, and the way we prepare for Saturday will help us with future challenges.
"We want a really good, solid performance from this team Saturday. We want to shoot the best possible score we can and continue the momentum we've gained this semester."
WVU is 19-9 all-time against UK.
Last time out, WVU earned a 4706-4660 win over No. 9 Navy at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building. Senior Ginny Thrasher finished first in air rifle with a 597 total, her second-best mark of the season, and junior Morgan Phillips won smallbore with a 587 score. WVU swept the Midshipmen, winning smallbore, 2332-2307, and air rifle, 2374-2353.
Phillips ranks No. 2 nationally in smallbore with a 591.5 season average. Thrasher ranks No. 4 with a 584.889 average.
A pair of Mountaineers are nationally ranked in the top five in air rifle. Junior Milica Babic checks in at No. 4 with a 594.9 season average, and Thrasher closely follows at No. 5 with a 594.444 average.
The Wildcats are coming off a 4689-4647 win over Ohio State on Jan. 27, in Columbus, Ohio. Senior Hanna Carr won smallbore with a 585 mark, while freshman Will Shaner shot 594 for the air rifle victory.
Shaner ranks No. 1 nationally with a 596.6 air rifle average and No. 11 in smallbore with a 581.8 average.
Players Mentioned
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, September 30
Life as a Mountaineer - Jared Eddy
Wednesday, March 24
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, January 14
