Friday, February 28
Memphis, Tenn.
9:00 a.m.
West Virginia University
vs
GARC Championships
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
No. 3 WVU Sits in Second After Day One at GARC Championships
February 28, 2020 06:30 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On the strength of its 2323 smallbore score, the No. 3-ranked West Virginia University rifle team stands in second place after one day of competition at the Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships held at the University of Memphis' Larry O. Finch Center, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Kentucky is first through day one with a 2326 team score. The Mountaineers are closely followed by Navy, which stands in third place with a score of 2318. Akron is in fourth place (2315), and Nebraska is in fifth place (2313).
Additionally, junior Sarah Osborn placed in the individual smallbore finals. The Hampton, Virginia, native finished fourth overall with a score of 430.5. Osborn entered the final in a tie for fourth, having shot a team-high 583 (192 kneeling, 197 prone, 194 standing) in the day's third relay.
"I think we definitely struggled a little bit today," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "It wasn't our strongest smallbore performance. We were lacking some of the big scores that we typically have, but as a team, we are three points out of the lead. We are right in it, and that's all you can ask for going into the second day of competition. We can use today as a learning opportunity as much as possible and look forward to tomorrow's competition."
Senior Milica Babic (191 kneeling, 199 prone, 192 standing) and junior David Koenders (196 kneeling, 200 prone, 186 standing) scored matching 582s toward the team scores. Koenders, a native of Mossautal, Germany, was particularly strong in prone, matching the program record with a perfect 200. Babic and Koenders tied for sixth overall.
Joining the duo on WVU's counting squad were senior Morgan Phillips (580), freshman Akihito Shimizu (579) and sophomore Verena Zaisberger (576). Phillips tied for 15th overall, while Shimizu and Zaisberger tied for 21st and 32nd, respectively.
Sophomore Jared Eddy shot 580 and tied for 15th, while junior Noah Barker finished in a tie for 21st with a career-high matching 579 total. Freshmen Malori Brown and Calista Smoyer finished in a tie for 32nd and 43rd, respectively, with scores of 576 and 571.
The GARC Championships continue Saturday, Feb. 29, at 9:15 a.m. ET, with the air rifle competition. The air rifle finals are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET. Live results are available at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Kentucky is first through day one with a 2326 team score. The Mountaineers are closely followed by Navy, which stands in third place with a score of 2318. Akron is in fourth place (2315), and Nebraska is in fifth place (2313).
Additionally, junior Sarah Osborn placed in the individual smallbore finals. The Hampton, Virginia, native finished fourth overall with a score of 430.5. Osborn entered the final in a tie for fourth, having shot a team-high 583 (192 kneeling, 197 prone, 194 standing) in the day's third relay.
"I think we definitely struggled a little bit today," Mountaineer coach Jon Hammond said. "It wasn't our strongest smallbore performance. We were lacking some of the big scores that we typically have, but as a team, we are three points out of the lead. We are right in it, and that's all you can ask for going into the second day of competition. We can use today as a learning opportunity as much as possible and look forward to tomorrow's competition."
Senior Milica Babic (191 kneeling, 199 prone, 192 standing) and junior David Koenders (196 kneeling, 200 prone, 186 standing) scored matching 582s toward the team scores. Koenders, a native of Mossautal, Germany, was particularly strong in prone, matching the program record with a perfect 200. Babic and Koenders tied for sixth overall.
Joining the duo on WVU's counting squad were senior Morgan Phillips (580), freshman Akihito Shimizu (579) and sophomore Verena Zaisberger (576). Phillips tied for 15th overall, while Shimizu and Zaisberger tied for 21st and 32nd, respectively.
Sophomore Jared Eddy shot 580 and tied for 15th, while junior Noah Barker finished in a tie for 21st with a career-high matching 579 total. Freshmen Malori Brown and Calista Smoyer finished in a tie for 32nd and 43rd, respectively, with scores of 576 and 571.
The GARC Championships continue Saturday, Feb. 29, at 9:15 a.m. ET, with the air rifle competition. The air rifle finals are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET. Live results are available at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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