West Virginia University seniors Morgan Phillips and Milica Babic will be competing in their final NCAA Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, beginning this Friday, March 13.
 
The two-day event concludes on Saturday, March 14.
 
Phillips, a Salisbury, Maryland, resident, was the NCAA smallbore champion as a sophomore in 2018 and earned All-America honors in that event last year as a junior.
 
Babic, from Belgrade, Serbia, is also a two-time All-American. She was surprised to learn that her Serbian heritage is also well-represented at West Virginia University.
 
"You know, the name of the football stadium is Milan Puskar and he is a Serbian descendent and also his last name, Puskar, means rifle and that is very fascinating to me because it's just this amazing coincidence," she said.
 
She said her time spent at WVU has been an amazing experience.
 
"You have all these people rooting for you and being positive," Babic said. "Even when it comes to shooting, it's a smaller sport and a smaller audience, but you never see people being against you. However you shoot or whatever team you are on, they always congratulate you and I like that."
 
Phillips has also enjoyed her four years in Morgantown.
 
"I love everything about West Virginia University," she said. "The best part about my experience here has been the rifle team - just because being a part of this program with all of the history it has and the relationships I've formed with my teammates and staff over the last four years have been amazing. I will have those relationships for the rest of my life."
 
Phillips and Babic had the good fortune of shooting last year's national championship at the WVU Coliseum in front of friends and family. It was the first time West Virginia University has served as the host site for the championships, and shooting enthusiasts in the Mountain State really came out and supported the event.
 
The event last year set an attendance record for the NCAA rifle championships.
 
"It was amazing to shoot the national championship at home," Phillips said. "It wasn't the outcome that we had hoped for but we all left that weekend with absolutely no regrets because it was amazing to be able to shoot that match at home for the first time and to have the attendance record for the championship. We always know the support that we have from the state but being there and seeing the crowd that showed up was really, really amazing."
 
Coach Jon Hammond believes their futures are very bright once their collegiate careers are over.
 
"They are definitely going to have a lot of doors open to them and a lot of opportunities, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for them," he said. "They are definitely capable of doing great things in whatever area or field that they go in to and we certainly wish them the best."
 
This week's Life as a Mountaineer was produced by Chris Ostien and is presented by WVU Medicine