Sunday, January 12
Tokyo, Japan
TBA
West Virginia University
at
All-Japan University Team
Mountaineers Take in Tokyo
January 15, 2020 04:32 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The spring semester at West Virginia University officially kicked off on Monday, with students heading to their first day of class. However, members of the No. 2-ranked WVU rifle team were traveling back from Tokyo, Japan, where the Mountaineers trained from Jan. 6-13.
All 10 members, including freshman Akihito Shimizu, a native of Tokushima, Japan, competed in a friendly shooting competition against the All-Japan University Team on Saturday and had the opportunity to tour many of Japan's historic sites on Sunday, including the Japan Olympic Museum, the Tokyo Skytree and the Senso-ji.
"It was an amazing experience and trip to have," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "It was very different from our experience in South Africa last year. It was more of a compact training trip, but the facility we stayed at was first class. It was a brand-new training center, and it was nice to have everything on site. It was a very different culture, but with having Akihito on the team, it made things a lot smoother.
"We saw a little bit of Tokyo in our short time there. It is an incredible city. There is a lot going on, but I think what made it special is that it is the site of the 2020 Summer Olympics. We were able to see the Olympic Museum, as well as the Olympic Stadium. I thought that was cool given that a lot of our team members are aspiring Olympic athletes."
The seven-day training trip began on Jan. 6, as the Mountaineers departed Morgantown and headed to Pittsburgh International Airport. After an overnight flight, the crew landed in Tokyo for a week-long adventure.
Leading up to Saturday's competition, the team took some time to train at the National Training Center throughout the week.
Seven Mountaineer shooters finished in the top 10 of the smallbore standings, with junior Sarah Osborn (194 kneeling, 199 prone, 189 standing) and sophomore Verena Zaisberger (193 kneeling, 197 prone, 190 standing) finishing in second and third, respectively. In air rifle, Osborn paced the Mountaineers and shot 595 (100-99-98-98-100-100) to place third, while junior David Koenders posted a 594 mark (99-99-99-100-99-98) and finished seventh.
Shiori Hirata of the All-Japan University Team won the individual competitions, shooting 584 smallbore and 597 air rifle.
West Virginia capped the match with a 4691 team total.
"These trips are incredibly valuable," Hammond said. "First and foremost, it gives our student-athletes wonderful experiences; things that they may not experience if they weren't on the WVU rifle team. It also gives us good training opportunities. It's a chance to become a better athlete, but they also get to experience traveling with a team and traveling internationally."
With the rifle portion of the trip completed, the Mountaineers set off to see the sights with members of the All-Japan University Team on Sunday, WVU's final day in Tokyo. The tour was highlighted by trips to the Senso-ji, an ancient Buddhist temple, and Tokyo's Skytree, the tallest structure in the world.
In addition to both rifle and historical experiences, the group was able to bond as a team. Six veterans and four newcomers made the trip, giving the Mountaineers the chance to come together as a team before the start of the second half of the season.
"It's a great way to kick off the semester," Hammond said. "We spent a good bit of time together, on and off the range, experiencing different things, and that is great from a team bonding perspective. The food was very different, and shopping was very different. Getting to experience those things with your teammates is something that you are going to remember for a long time."
The Mountaineers return to action on Sunday, Jan. 26, with a home match against Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) foe Army West Point. Sunday's match will take place inside WVU's Shell Building, with competition set to begin at 9 a.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
All 10 members, including freshman Akihito Shimizu, a native of Tokushima, Japan, competed in a friendly shooting competition against the All-Japan University Team on Saturday and had the opportunity to tour many of Japan's historic sites on Sunday, including the Japan Olympic Museum, the Tokyo Skytree and the Senso-ji.
"It was an amazing experience and trip to have," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "It was very different from our experience in South Africa last year. It was more of a compact training trip, but the facility we stayed at was first class. It was a brand-new training center, and it was nice to have everything on site. It was a very different culture, but with having Akihito on the team, it made things a lot smoother.
"We saw a little bit of Tokyo in our short time there. It is an incredible city. There is a lot going on, but I think what made it special is that it is the site of the 2020 Summer Olympics. We were able to see the Olympic Museum, as well as the Olympic Stadium. I thought that was cool given that a lot of our team members are aspiring Olympic athletes."
The seven-day training trip began on Jan. 6, as the Mountaineers departed Morgantown and headed to Pittsburgh International Airport. After an overnight flight, the crew landed in Tokyo for a week-long adventure.
Leading up to Saturday's competition, the team took some time to train at the National Training Center throughout the week.
Seven Mountaineer shooters finished in the top 10 of the smallbore standings, with junior Sarah Osborn (194 kneeling, 199 prone, 189 standing) and sophomore Verena Zaisberger (193 kneeling, 197 prone, 190 standing) finishing in second and third, respectively. In air rifle, Osborn paced the Mountaineers and shot 595 (100-99-98-98-100-100) to place third, while junior David Koenders posted a 594 mark (99-99-99-100-99-98) and finished seventh.
Shiori Hirata of the All-Japan University Team won the individual competitions, shooting 584 smallbore and 597 air rifle.
West Virginia capped the match with a 4691 team total.
"These trips are incredibly valuable," Hammond said. "First and foremost, it gives our student-athletes wonderful experiences; things that they may not experience if they weren't on the WVU rifle team. It also gives us good training opportunities. It's a chance to become a better athlete, but they also get to experience traveling with a team and traveling internationally."
With the rifle portion of the trip completed, the Mountaineers set off to see the sights with members of the All-Japan University Team on Sunday, WVU's final day in Tokyo. The tour was highlighted by trips to the Senso-ji, an ancient Buddhist temple, and Tokyo's Skytree, the tallest structure in the world.
In addition to both rifle and historical experiences, the group was able to bond as a team. Six veterans and four newcomers made the trip, giving the Mountaineers the chance to come together as a team before the start of the second half of the season.
"It's a great way to kick off the semester," Hammond said. "We spent a good bit of time together, on and off the range, experiencing different things, and that is great from a team bonding perspective. The food was very different, and shopping was very different. Getting to experience those things with your teammates is something that you are going to remember for a long time."
The Mountaineers return to action on Sunday, Jan. 26, with a home match against Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) foe Army West Point. Sunday's match will take place inside WVU's Shell Building, with competition set to begin at 9 a.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Wednesday, March 24
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, January 14
