USA -(Ammoland.com)-The West Virginia University rifle program has done nothing to deter us from thinking a 17th title is well within its grasp with a perfect 8-0 record at the midway point of the NCAA Rifle season.
The second-half of the NCAA rifle season got underway this past weekend with two months remaining before the NCAA Rifle Championship.
Having not lost in 23 consecutive matches including two Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) and two NCAA Rifle Championships, the Mountaineers own eight of the top-nine aggregate team scores overall. In both and Air and Smallbore events, they currently have four of the top individual scores with no other school having more than one representative in smallbore and just second-ranked Alaska-Fairbanks showing two in Air.
“We can take a lot of positives from this semester,” WVU head coach Jon Hammond said. “The team has put in some really good performances, which has resulted in some great team scores. They all have room to improve and want to get better. There is a lot of healthy competition between them, and that will continue into next semester.”
Closing out the fall competitive rifle season, the Nanooks were second followed by Jacksonville State, Kentucky and Air Force. TCU, Nebraska, Murray State, Memphis and Ohio State complete the Top 10.
Several USA Shooting Team stars are enjoying great seasons thus far including 2014 World Team members Sagen Maddalena (UAF), Lorelie Stanfield (UAF), Mindy Miles (TCU), Garrett Spurgeon (WVU) and the defending NCAA National Champion Connor Davis (UK) having achieved scores of 596 or better in Air. Spurgeon and Davis have also scored 589 in smallbore to be among the scoring leaders as well. West point cadet Joshua Martin holds the top smallbore score at 591 while Maddalena and WVU star Maren Prediger have achieved 599 in Air.
Nanook senior Ryan Anderson will also be one to watch in 2015 as he looks to close out a great collegiate career. He earned World Cup rights during the Winter Airgun Championships. Junior Hannah Black of Texas Christian University was the top smallbore shooter during USA Shooting’s Winter Selection Match, completed last weekend, earning her first World Cup selection. Mountaineer freshman Elizabeth Gratz was a tie-breaker away from earning her World Cup selection too.
The NCAA Rifle season resumes this month with teams and individuals all vying for a spot at the NCAA Rifle Championships taking place at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, March 14-15.
Top Smallbore Scores (thru December 2014)
- Joshua Martin, Army – 591
- Meredith Carpentier, Air Force – 589
- Connor Davis, Kentucky – 589, 588 & 585
- Thomas Kyanko, West Virginia – 589 & 585
- Garrett Spurgeon, West Virginia – 589 & 587
- Mark Matheny, Ohio State – 588
- Michael Bamsey, West Virginia – 587, 586 & 585
- Samantha Bullard, Jacksonville State – 587
- Ariana Grabowski, TCU – 587
- Jean-Pierre Lucas, West Virginia – 587 (twice)
- Denise Martin, Nebraska – 587
- Tyler Rico, Air Force – 587 & 586
Top Air Rifle Scores (thru December 2014)
- Sagen Maddalena, Alaska Fairbanks – 599, 597 & 595 (twice)
- Maren Prediger, West Virginia – 599, 597 & 596
- Ziva Dvorsak, West Virginia, 598, 597(x4) 596 & 595
- Rachel Martin, Nebraska, 597
- Mindy Miles, TCU, 597
- Connor Davis, Kentucky, 596
- Garrett Spurgeon, West Virginia, 596 (twice)
- Lorelie Stanfield, Alaska Fairbanks, 596
- Cole Tucker, Jacksonville State, 596
- Ryan Anderson, Alaska Fairbanks, 596
- Matt Chezem, Akron, 595
- Dacotah Faught, UT Martin, 595
- Elizabeth Gratz, West Virginia, 595 (twice)
- Thomas Kyanko, West Virginia, 595
For individual NCAA results, click here: http://ncaarifle.org/Home/IndividualResults. For team results, click here: http://ncaarifle.org/Home/TeamResultshttp://ncaarifle.org/Home/TeamResults