MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Oct. 29, 2023) – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team remained perfect on the season after firing a 4732 to defeat No. 3 Nebraska (4722) on Sunday at the TCU Rifle Range in Fort Worth, Texas. The result marks the sixth time this season the Mountaineers have defeated a program inside the top 11 of the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Poll.
“We are happy with the effort and performance the team put together this weekend,” Head Coach Jon Hammond said. “Yesterday was a really good match and put us in a great position in our NCAA average. TCU is one of the top teams in the county and it is very satisfying to see us come to their place and perform how we did.
“Today was another challenge for us after shooting back-to-back matches but I am proud of the effort everyone game and the work they put into their match. We are satisfied with both the individual performance and the match. We can now look forward to our fall finale with the WVU Fall Classic."
For smallbore and air rifle, fifth-year senior Malori Brown, seniors Matt Sanchez and Molly McGhin, and freshman Griffin Lake counted towards WVU’s total team score. In smallbore senior Tal Engler also counted towards the team total while in air rifle junior Natalie Perrin served as a counter.
The Mountaineers (6-0, 3-0 GARC) claimed both smallbore (2352) and air rifle (2380) at the match. Nebraska produced scores of 2345 in smallbore and 2377 in air rifle.
McGhin led the way for the Mountaineers finishing first in both smallbore (590) and aggregate (1186). She added a score of 596 in air rifle to take second in the discipline. Lake tied for third in the overall leaderboard after an 1183. He recorded a second-place finish in air rifle with 596 and took fourth in smallbore at 587.
Sanchez finished just behind in fifth place with a mark of 1182. He took second in smallbore at 589 and added a seventh-place mark of 593 in air rifle. Brown tied for sixth place after scores of 585 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle to total an aggregate score of 1180. Her mark in air rifle matched a season high.
Perrin finished in eighth place with a 1176 as Engler finished just behind in ninth with a 1175. Perrin notched a 585 in smallbore and a 591 in air rifle as Engler produced a 586 in smallbore and a 589 in air rifle.
Freshman Maximus Duncan 1174 (580 SB – 594 AR) and senior Becca Lamb 1173 (583 SB – 590 AR) also competed at the match. The pair both tied their season highs in smallbore as Duncan hit career highs in air rifle and aggregate score.
WVU is off this week before returning to action on Nov. 11-12 when they host the WVU Fall Classic. The Mountaineers are set to host Air Force, Murray State and Nebraska inside the WVU Shell Building.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
“We are happy with the effort and performance the team put together this weekend,” Head Coach Jon Hammond said. “Yesterday was a really good match and put us in a great position in our NCAA average. TCU is one of the top teams in the county and it is very satisfying to see us come to their place and perform how we did.
“Today was another challenge for us after shooting back-to-back matches but I am proud of the effort everyone game and the work they put into their match. We are satisfied with both the individual performance and the match. We can now look forward to our fall finale with the WVU Fall Classic."
For smallbore and air rifle, fifth-year senior Malori Brown, seniors Matt Sanchez and Molly McGhin, and freshman Griffin Lake counted towards WVU’s total team score. In smallbore senior Tal Engler also counted towards the team total while in air rifle junior Natalie Perrin served as a counter.
The Mountaineers (6-0, 3-0 GARC) claimed both smallbore (2352) and air rifle (2380) at the match. Nebraska produced scores of 2345 in smallbore and 2377 in air rifle.
McGhin led the way for the Mountaineers finishing first in both smallbore (590) and aggregate (1186). She added a score of 596 in air rifle to take second in the discipline. Lake tied for third in the overall leaderboard after an 1183. He recorded a second-place finish in air rifle with 596 and took fourth in smallbore at 587.
Sanchez finished just behind in fifth place with a mark of 1182. He took second in smallbore at 589 and added a seventh-place mark of 593 in air rifle. Brown tied for sixth place after scores of 585 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle to total an aggregate score of 1180. Her mark in air rifle matched a season high.
Perrin finished in eighth place with a 1176 as Engler finished just behind in ninth with a 1175. Perrin notched a 585 in smallbore and a 591 in air rifle as Engler produced a 586 in smallbore and a 589 in air rifle.
Freshman Maximus Duncan 1174 (580 SB – 594 AR) and senior Becca Lamb 1173 (583 SB – 590 AR) also competed at the match. The pair both tied their season highs in smallbore as Duncan hit career highs in air rifle and aggregate score.
WVU is off this week before returning to action on Nov. 11-12 when they host the WVU Fall Classic. The Mountaineers are set to host Air Force, Murray State and Nebraska inside the WVU Shell Building.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
