AKRON, Ohio – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team finished on top for the third time this weekend, defeating No. 11 Akron on Sunday afternoon inside the Robert A Pinn Shooting Range in Akron.
 
It marks the ninth-ranked opponent the Mountaineers have defeated this season. The wins extend the Mountaineers' regular season win streak to 25 straight matches.
 
West Virginia bested the Zips by 36 points after posting an aggregate total of 4747. WVU hit marks of 2359 in smallbore and 2388 in air rifle to claim both disciplines. Akron scored a 4711 (2345 SB – 2366 AR).
 
The Mountaineers filled the top of the leaderboard, claiming the top eight spots in a field of 22.
 
For smallbore and air rifle, seniors Gavin Barnick and Natalie Perrin, sophomores Lauri Syrja and Griffin Lake and freshman Ashlyn Blake served as counters for the match.  
 
Barnick and Syrja tied for first place on the overall leaderboard with matching 1189 scores. Barnick claimed first in smallbore with a 593 and added a fifth-place finish in air rifle with a 596. Syrja took second in smallbore with a season-high 592 and tied second in air rifle with a 597.
 
Blake finished in third place to help the Mountaineers sweep the podium with a score of 1185. She hit the top mark in air rifle with a 598 and added a tie for fifth place in smallbore with a 587.
 
Freshman Jennifer Kocher tied for fourth place in her second-ever match for WVU with freshman Jacob Wisman who hit 1183 totals. Kocher managed a 588 in smallbore and a 595 in air rifle as Wisman hit a 587 in smallbore and a 596 in air rifle.
 
Perrin scored an 1181 following a season-high 587 in smallbore and a 594 in air rifle. Freshman Camryn Camp and Lake finished in a tie for seventh place to round out the Mountaineers inside the top 10. The pair both posted 1180 aggregate scores with 583's in smallbore and 597's in air rifle.  
 
Sophomore Maximus Duncan also competed at the event posting an 1173 with a season high score of 585 in smallbore and a 588 in air rifle.

The Mountaineers are off this week before closing out the regular season against Kentucky on Saturday, Feb. 8 on the road.    
 
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