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No. 2 West Virginia rifle team defeats No. 11 Army

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The No. 2-ranked West Virginia rifle team opened its spring season Sunday with a 4683-4648 win over No. 11 Army at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building.

The Mountaineers (8-0, 7-0) swept the Black Knights (3-4, 3-4) in both disciples, winning smallbore, 2316-2306, and air rifle, 2367-2342.

“It was great to be back on our Bill McKenzie Rifle Range down in the shell today,” WVU coach Jon Hammond said. “It is a completely different atmosphere. Overall, we had a few struggles, but I thought the team was very professional. The score wasn’t what we wanted, but the team is working really hard.

“We had some good performances today. David had a season high in air rifle. It also was good to see Noah hit a personal best in smallbore. This semester is going to keep us pretty busy, so we’re looking forward to getting in some good training this week and getting back on the road next weekend.”

Junior David Koenders placed first overall with an aggregate total of 1179, while senior Milica Babic and Army’s Clayton Hanson tied for second with matching 1171s.

Koenders, a native of Mossautal, Germany, also won air rifle outright with a season-high score of 597 (100-99-99-100-100-99), two shots shy of a career high.

Junior Sarah Osborn, freshman Akihito Shimizu and Babic tied for second with 593 air rifle marks. Sophomore Jared Eddy rounded out the Mountaineers in the top five with a 591 total, and classmate Verena Zaisberger placed sixth with a 588 score.

In smallbore, Phillips, a native of Salisbury, Maryland, shot a winning, 588 mark (197 kneeling, 198 prone, 193 standing). Koenders (582) placed third, with Brown (580) and Barker (579) rounding out the top five. Of note, Barker’s score was a personal best.

Looking ahead, West Virginia heads to Columbus, Ohio, for an 8 p.m. match against No. 13 Ohio State on Saturday.