Rifle

12-1/7-1 GREAT AMERICAN RIFLE CONFERENCE (T-1ST)

MOLLY MCGHIN

• West Virginia finished with a 12-1 record, including a 7-1 mark inside the Great

American Rifle Conference (GARC) • The Mountaineers finished the season by capturing a share of the 2021-22 GARC regular-season title, along with Kentucky, marking the second consecutive season that WVU has brought home the regular-season crown • During the regular season, West Virginia defeated eight top-10 opponents, including two top-five teams • WVU also won 10 or more matches for the 12th time under coach Jon Hammond, who improved his career record to 169-17 (.908) • Against TCU on Nov. 6, sophomore Molly McGhin became the sixth shooter in program history to shoot a perfect 600 in air rifle. The mark also tied the school and

NCAA record in the relay • The Mountaineers shot an NCAA Qualifying Score of 9441, which helped them earn their 14th consecutive bid to the NCAA Rifle Championships. WVU entered the field as the sixth-ranked team • At the 2022 GARC Championships, hosted by Army, West Virginia shot a 2345 smallbore and a 2387 in air rifle for a combined score of 4732 to finish second at this year’s championships • Prior to the GARC Championships, nine Mountaineer shooters earned a combined 25 honors on this year’s All-GARC teams • Of WVU’s 25 All-GARC honors, eight student-athletes made the smallbore team, seven made the air rifle team and eight were a part of the combined (smallbore and air rifle) team • Additionally, freshman Natalie Perrin was named the GARC’s Rookie of the Year, after averaging scores of 582.5 in smallbore, 593 in air rifle and 1175.5 overall in 2021-22 • The Coopersville, Michigan, native is the first Mountaineer to win GARC Rookie of the

Year since Milica Babic in 2017 and the eighth in program history • Senior Verena Zaisberger represented West Virginia in the GARC’s Scholar-Athlete category for the second consecutive season • Zaisberger also received her second NCAA Elite 90 Award for Division I Rifle, the sport’s top academic honor, in 2021-22 • The Hohenems, Austria, native joins Elizabeth Gratz, who took home the honor in 2017 and 2018, as the second different shooter in program history to receive the Elite 90 Award twice

• Zaisberger also was one of 19

Mountaineers and 168 Big 12 Conference student-athletes to be recognized with the 2022 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic

Achievement Award – the Big 12’s highest academic honor • The Mountaineers concluded their season by shooting a 4700 at the 2022

NCAA Rifle Championships hosted by Air

Force, and finished sixth at the event • WVU’s 2380 in air rifle at the NCAA

Championships were good for second place in the discipline • Following the season, eight studentathletes took home 15 combined

All-America honors from the Collegiate

Rifle Coaches Association, including sophomore Tal Engler, McGhin and junior

Akihito Shimizu, who each made an appearance on all three teams • Seven student-athletes were selected to the 2022 Academic All-Big 12 At-Large

First Team, including Zaisberger, who was one of three student-athletes on the conference-wide list to earn a 4.0 gradepoint average (GPA)

MALORI BROWN

• CRCA All-America Second Team (Smallbore) • All-GARC Second Team (Smallbore) • All-GARC Honorable Mention (Combined) • Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team

JARED EDDY

• CRCA All-America Second Team (Smallbore) • All-GARC Honorable Mention (Smallbore) • Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team

TAL ENGLER

• CRCA All-America Second Team (Smallbore, Air Rifle) • CRCA All-America Third Team (Aggregate) • All-GARC First Team (Smallbore, Air

Rifle, Combined) • Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First

Team

BECCA LAMB

• Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First

Team

MOLLY MCGHIN

• CRCA All-America Honorable Mention (Aggregate, Smallbore, Air Rifle) • All-GARC Second Team (Smallbore, Air

Rifle, Combined) • Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First

Team

NATALIE PERRIN

• GARC Rookie of the Year • CRCA All-America Honorable Mention (Air Rifle) • All-GARC Second Team (Air Rifle) • All-GARC Honorable Mention (Smallbore, Combined)

MATT SANCHEZ

• All-GARC Honorable Mention (Smallbore, Air Rifle, Combined)

AKIHITO SHIMIZU

• CRCA All-America Second Team (Smallbore, Air Rifle) • CRCA All-America Third Team (Aggregate) • All-GARC Second Team (Smallbore, Air

Rifle, Combined)

NATALIE PERRIN

CALISTA SMOYER

• CRCA All-America Honorable Mention (Air Rifle) • All-GARC First Team (Air Rifle) • All-GARC Honorable Mention (Combined) • Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First

Team

VERENA ZAISBERGER

• NCAA Elite 90 Award • Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement

Award • GARC Scholar-Athlete (WVU) • CRCA All-America Second Team (Smallbore) • CRCA All-America Honorable Mention (Aggregate) • All-GARC Second Team (Smallbore,

Combined) • All-GARC Honorable Mention (Air Rifle) • Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First

Team

VERENA ZAISBERGER