MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Oct. 28, 2023) – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team shot a 4748 to defeat No. 2 TCU (4730) and No. 3 Nebraska (4699) on Saturday at the TCU Rifle Range in Fort Worth, Texas.
For smallbore and air rifle, fifth-year senior Mary Tucker, seniors Matt Sanchez and Molly McGhin, junior Gavin Barnick and Freshman Griffin Lake counted towards WVU’s total team score.
The Mountaineers (5-0, 3-0 GARC) claimed the smallbore relay, shooting 2366 in smallbore and finished second in air rifle at 2382. TCU finished one point ahead of WVU in air rifle with 2383 as they claimed second in smallbore at 2347. Nebraska shot 2327 in smallbore and 2372 in air rifle to take third in both.
Six Mountaineers finished inside the top nine on the overall leaderboard. Tucker led the way, leading all shooters in aggregate score (1190) and air rifle (597). The Sarasota, Florida native also shot a 593 in smallbore, which was the second-best in the field.
McGhin came second on the match leaderboard, with a score of 1189, matching a career high. She also set a new career-high score in smallbore with a 595 and added a mark of 594 in air rifle.
Lake took fourth place after posting an 1185 with marks of 590 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle. Sanchez finished in seventh place at 1183, adding scores of 588 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle. The pair tied for fifth in air rifle while Lake claimed fourth and Sanchez tied for seventh smallbore.
Barnick totaled an 1180 to finish in ninth place. He added a similar mark of 595 in air rifle to tie fifth while hitting a 585 in smallbore. His score in air rifle set a new career high.
Fifth-year senior Malori Brown was the final Mountaineer to crack the top ten, finishing in eighth after she shot an 1181 (589 SB – 592 AR). Her score in smallbore tied for the fifth-best in the field.
Senior Tal Engler 1174 (586 SB – 588 AR), Junior Natalie Perrin 1172 (586 SB – 586 AR), Senior Becca Lamb 1168 (582 SB – 586 AR) and Freshman Maximus Duncan 1161 (571 SB – 590 AR) also competed at the event. Perrin’s mark of 586 in smallbore matched a season high.
Also of note, the Mountaineers' mark of 2366 in smallbore set a new season high.
WVU closes out its Texas swing tomorrow with another match against Nebraska at the TCU Rifle Range. The match is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
For smallbore and air rifle, fifth-year senior Mary Tucker, seniors Matt Sanchez and Molly McGhin, junior Gavin Barnick and Freshman Griffin Lake counted towards WVU’s total team score.
The Mountaineers (5-0, 3-0 GARC) claimed the smallbore relay, shooting 2366 in smallbore and finished second in air rifle at 2382. TCU finished one point ahead of WVU in air rifle with 2383 as they claimed second in smallbore at 2347. Nebraska shot 2327 in smallbore and 2372 in air rifle to take third in both.
Six Mountaineers finished inside the top nine on the overall leaderboard. Tucker led the way, leading all shooters in aggregate score (1190) and air rifle (597). The Sarasota, Florida native also shot a 593 in smallbore, which was the second-best in the field.
McGhin came second on the match leaderboard, with a score of 1189, matching a career high. She also set a new career-high score in smallbore with a 595 and added a mark of 594 in air rifle.
Lake took fourth place after posting an 1185 with marks of 590 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle. Sanchez finished in seventh place at 1183, adding scores of 588 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle. The pair tied for fifth in air rifle while Lake claimed fourth and Sanchez tied for seventh smallbore.
Barnick totaled an 1180 to finish in ninth place. He added a similar mark of 595 in air rifle to tie fifth while hitting a 585 in smallbore. His score in air rifle set a new career high.
Fifth-year senior Malori Brown was the final Mountaineer to crack the top ten, finishing in eighth after she shot an 1181 (589 SB – 592 AR). Her score in smallbore tied for the fifth-best in the field.
Senior Tal Engler 1174 (586 SB – 588 AR), Junior Natalie Perrin 1172 (586 SB – 586 AR), Senior Becca Lamb 1168 (582 SB – 586 AR) and Freshman Maximus Duncan 1161 (571 SB – 590 AR) also competed at the event. Perrin’s mark of 586 in smallbore matched a season high.
Also of note, the Mountaineers' mark of 2366 in smallbore set a new season high.
WVU closes out its Texas swing tomorrow with another match against Nebraska at the TCU Rifle Range. The match is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
