WVU Assistant Rifle Coach Gets Georgia State Job
Kevin Kinder
Soren Butler, a two-time All-American at Alaska Fairbanks, has been named the next head coach of the Georgia Southern rifle program, as announced Saturday by Director of Athletic Jared Benko. Butler, who has been a coach at perennial national power West Virginia for the past five seasons, brings a strong background in shooting, technical coaching and administration to Statesboro.
“I am excited to welcome Soren Butler as our new head rifle coach,” Benko said. “Soren is the top assistant coach in the country and has been successful in the sport throughout his career – both as a former student-athlete and as a coach. As a coach at West Virginia, he was instrumental in leading his team to back-to-back national championship runner-up finishes and several conference championships. He also excelled as a student-athlete at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he was a two-time NRA All-American and co-captain. Please join us in welcoming Soren to Georgia Southern University!”
“I would just like to thank Jared Benko and the entire administration at Georgia Southern for this opportunity to fulfill a dream of leading a college rifle team,” Butler said. “I was blown away with the sincere support and welcome I received from every staff member I was able to meet. I think this program has some of the best facilities in the country as well as endless opportunities in front of it. I’m looking forward to arriving in Statesboro and getting to work.”
A native of Casselton, North Dakota, Butler was named assistant coach at WVU on June 26, 2019. In that time, the Mountaineers qualified for the NCAA Championships all three seasons, finishing fourth in 2021 and sixth this past season. The 2020 Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his final season in Morgantown, Butler helped lead the Mountaineers to a sixth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Eight members of the West Virginia team took home a combined 15 All-America honors from the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA), and senior Verena Zaisberger received the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award for Division I Rifle, the sport’s top academic honor. West Virginia posted a 12-1 overall mark, 7-1 in the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC), and a runner-up finish at the conference championships.
In 2020-21, the Mountaineers hoisted their conference-best 14th GARC title while compiling a 7-1 mark in the regular season. WVU finished fourth at the 2021 NCAA Championships and saw the nine shooters earn 22 All-America honors from the CRCA.
With a shortened 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WVU’s final competition was at the 2020 GARC Championship. At the season’s end, eight shooters earned a combined 21 National Rifle Association (NRA) and College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America honors. It’s the first time WVU has had over 20 All-America honors in one season since 2016. The Mountaineers finished the regular season with a 9-1 mark, including a 7-1 league record, and ranked No. 3 nationally. Sarah Osborn completed the conference championships with the second-best combined score, earning 583 smallbore and 597 air rifle for an aggregate score of 1,180. Osborn’s air rifle total was a personal best.
Butler’s appointment followed a two-year stint as the program’s graduate assistant (2017-19). He helped the Mountaineers secure back-to-back runner-up finishes at the NCAA Championships (2018 and 2019) in those two seasons and earned consecutive Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season and championship titles. Additionally, the Mountaineers compiled a perfect 26-0 record.
In 2018-19, WVU finished second at the NCAA Championships at the WVU Coliseum with a 4,692 mark. Butler played an instrumental role in helping the Mountaineers host the first-ever NCAA Championships in Morgantown, and a record two-day crowd of 2,215 fans was in attendance. WVU claimed its sixth consecutive GARC regular-season title that same season and earned its 10th straight GARC Championship title. Ginny Thrasher successfully defended her air rifle title for the third consecutive season, while Morgan Phillips won the smallbore title. Additionally, Thrasher was named the GARC Shooter of the Year and Outstanding Senior. The Mountaineers finished the season at 13-0 (8-0 GARC), the team’s fourth consecutive undefeated season and fifth unblemished record in six years.
With Butler’s help in 2017-18, the Mountaineers finished second at the NCAA Championships with a 4,708 score and won the air rifle title with a 2,381 total. Phillips won her second consecutive NCAA smallbore title, becoming just the second WVU student-athlete to win back-to-back smallbore championships. WVU claimed its fifth consecutive GARC regular-season crown and won its ninth consecutive GARC Championship. Thrasher swept the GARC individual titles, and Elizabeth Gratz was named the GARC Outstanding Senior. The Mountaineers finished the 2017-18 season at 13-0 (9-0 GARC) and set NCAA records for aggregate score (4,742) and smallbore score (2,356) in a win at Murray State on Nov. 12, 2017.
In his five seasons at WVU, Butler coached 15 student-athletes to 94 CRCA All-America honors and had three earn Google Cloud Academic All-America accolades. Thrasher, who won the 2016 Olympic Gold Medal, was one of three Mountaineers to capture four NCAA national titles under his watch.
“I really excited and proud of Soren for getting this opportunity to be a head coach, and I think Georgia Southern has really hired the best person they could have found,” said John Hammond, West Virginia head rifle coach. “Soren has had five wonderful years with us at WVU and has meant a lot to our program. He has really grown into the position here and learnt how to be a great coach, whether that is listening, teaching, doing admin or just building relationships. We are going to miss him a lot, but I’m excited to see him step into a bigger role and I know Georgia Southern Rifle is going to be a team to watch in the coming years.”
A four-year letterwinner at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Butler was a two-time NRA All-American with the Nanooks. He shot at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Championships, where he finished tied for eighth overall in smallbore (582) and air rifle (592). Butler also claimed the Patriot Rifle Conference Championship smallbore title as a senior, shooting a career-high 589.
The 2016-17 team co-captain and MVP won the Nanooks’ Joe Tremarello Sportsmanship Award in consecutive seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17). He finished his collegiate shooting career with highs of 594 air rifle and 589 smallbore.
Butler earned his bachelor’s degree in general business from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in May 2016 and his Master’s of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in May 2017, also from UAF. He earned a master’s degree in sport management from West Virginia University in May 2019.
Butler replaces Sandra Worman, who coached the Eagles the past five seasons. She announced her retirement following the school’s first SoCon Championship in March. Georgia Southern is scheduled to return all eight shooters to a team that had its highest national finish in 2021-22.
The Butler File
Personal Information
Birthday: May 23
Hometown: Casselton, N.D.
Education: Alaska Fairbanks, 2016 (Bachelor’s); Alaska Fairbanks, 2017 (Master’s); West Virginia, 2019 (Master’s)
Shooting Career:
Alaska Fairbanks, 2012-17
Two-time NRA All-American
Coaching History:
2017-19: West Virginia – Graduate Assistant
2019-22: West Virginia – Assistant Coach
2022-present: Georgia Southern – Head Coach
Kevin Kinder
Soren Butler, a two-time All-American at Alaska Fairbanks, has been named the next head coach of the Georgia Southern rifle program, as announced Saturday by Director of Athletic Jared Benko. Butler, who has been a coach at perennial national power West Virginia for the past five seasons, brings a strong background in shooting, technical coaching and administration to Statesboro.
“I am excited to welcome Soren Butler as our new head rifle coach,” Benko said. “Soren is the top assistant coach in the country and has been successful in the sport throughout his career – both as a former student-athlete and as a coach. As a coach at West Virginia, he was instrumental in leading his team to back-to-back national championship runner-up finishes and several conference championships. He also excelled as a student-athlete at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he was a two-time NRA All-American and co-captain. Please join us in welcoming Soren to Georgia Southern University!”
“I would just like to thank Jared Benko and the entire administration at Georgia Southern for this opportunity to fulfill a dream of leading a college rifle team,” Butler said. “I was blown away with the sincere support and welcome I received from every staff member I was able to meet. I think this program has some of the best facilities in the country as well as endless opportunities in front of it. I’m looking forward to arriving in Statesboro and getting to work.”
A native of Casselton, North Dakota, Butler was named assistant coach at WVU on June 26, 2019. In that time, the Mountaineers qualified for the NCAA Championships all three seasons, finishing fourth in 2021 and sixth this past season. The 2020 Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his final season in Morgantown, Butler helped lead the Mountaineers to a sixth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Eight members of the West Virginia team took home a combined 15 All-America honors from the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA), and senior Verena Zaisberger received the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award for Division I Rifle, the sport’s top academic honor. West Virginia posted a 12-1 overall mark, 7-1 in the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC), and a runner-up finish at the conference championships.
In 2020-21, the Mountaineers hoisted their conference-best 14th GARC title while compiling a 7-1 mark in the regular season. WVU finished fourth at the 2021 NCAA Championships and saw the nine shooters earn 22 All-America honors from the CRCA.
With a shortened 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WVU’s final competition was at the 2020 GARC Championship. At the season’s end, eight shooters earned a combined 21 National Rifle Association (NRA) and College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) All-America honors. It’s the first time WVU has had over 20 All-America honors in one season since 2016. The Mountaineers finished the regular season with a 9-1 mark, including a 7-1 league record, and ranked No. 3 nationally. Sarah Osborn completed the conference championships with the second-best combined score, earning 583 smallbore and 597 air rifle for an aggregate score of 1,180. Osborn’s air rifle total was a personal best.
Butler’s appointment followed a two-year stint as the program’s graduate assistant (2017-19). He helped the Mountaineers secure back-to-back runner-up finishes at the NCAA Championships (2018 and 2019) in those two seasons and earned consecutive Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) regular-season and championship titles. Additionally, the Mountaineers compiled a perfect 26-0 record.
In 2018-19, WVU finished second at the NCAA Championships at the WVU Coliseum with a 4,692 mark. Butler played an instrumental role in helping the Mountaineers host the first-ever NCAA Championships in Morgantown, and a record two-day crowd of 2,215 fans was in attendance. WVU claimed its sixth consecutive GARC regular-season title that same season and earned its 10th straight GARC Championship title. Ginny Thrasher successfully defended her air rifle title for the third consecutive season, while Morgan Phillips won the smallbore title. Additionally, Thrasher was named the GARC Shooter of the Year and Outstanding Senior. The Mountaineers finished the season at 13-0 (8-0 GARC), the team’s fourth consecutive undefeated season and fifth unblemished record in six years.
With Butler’s help in 2017-18, the Mountaineers finished second at the NCAA Championships with a 4,708 score and won the air rifle title with a 2,381 total. Phillips won her second consecutive NCAA smallbore title, becoming just the second WVU student-athlete to win back-to-back smallbore championships. WVU claimed its fifth consecutive GARC regular-season crown and won its ninth consecutive GARC Championship. Thrasher swept the GARC individual titles, and Elizabeth Gratz was named the GARC Outstanding Senior. The Mountaineers finished the 2017-18 season at 13-0 (9-0 GARC) and set NCAA records for aggregate score (4,742) and smallbore score (2,356) in a win at Murray State on Nov. 12, 2017.
In his five seasons at WVU, Butler coached 15 student-athletes to 94 CRCA All-America honors and had three earn Google Cloud Academic All-America accolades. Thrasher, who won the 2016 Olympic Gold Medal, was one of three Mountaineers to capture four NCAA national titles under his watch.
“I really excited and proud of Soren for getting this opportunity to be a head coach, and I think Georgia Southern has really hired the best person they could have found,” said John Hammond, West Virginia head rifle coach. “Soren has had five wonderful years with us at WVU and has meant a lot to our program. He has really grown into the position here and learnt how to be a great coach, whether that is listening, teaching, doing admin or just building relationships. We are going to miss him a lot, but I’m excited to see him step into a bigger role and I know Georgia Southern Rifle is going to be a team to watch in the coming years.”
A four-year letterwinner at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Butler was a two-time NRA All-American with the Nanooks. He shot at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Championships, where he finished tied for eighth overall in smallbore (582) and air rifle (592). Butler also claimed the Patriot Rifle Conference Championship smallbore title as a senior, shooting a career-high 589.
The 2016-17 team co-captain and MVP won the Nanooks’ Joe Tremarello Sportsmanship Award in consecutive seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17). He finished his collegiate shooting career with highs of 594 air rifle and 589 smallbore.
Butler earned his bachelor’s degree in general business from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in May 2016 and his Master’s of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in May 2017, also from UAF. He earned a master’s degree in sport management from West Virginia University in May 2019.
Butler replaces Sandra Worman, who coached the Eagles the past five seasons. She announced her retirement following the school’s first SoCon Championship in March. Georgia Southern is scheduled to return all eight shooters to a team that had its highest national finish in 2021-22.
The Butler File
Personal Information
Birthday: May 23
Hometown: Casselton, N.D.
Education: Alaska Fairbanks, 2016 (Bachelor’s); Alaska Fairbanks, 2017 (Master’s); West Virginia, 2019 (Master’s)
Shooting Career:
Alaska Fairbanks, 2012-17
Two-time NRA All-American
Coaching History:
2017-19: West Virginia – Graduate Assistant
2019-22: West Virginia – Assistant Coach
2022-present: Georgia Southern – Head Coach
