This used to be one of my favorite sports, before Parkinsonianism took away my aim. I was glad to see WVU resurrect the rifle program, and even happier that they've risen once again to national prominence...

MSNsportsNET Wrote:No. 2 WVU Battles Arch Nemesis
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
January 23, 2009
Season scores and averages

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The second-ranked West Virginia University rifle team faces arguably its toughest task of the season against No. 3 Alaska-Fairbanks on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 8 a.m., at the WVU Rifle Range.

The Mountaineers (8-1, 5-1 GARC) are coming off a sterling performance against No. 18 N.C. State, earning the nation’s best score while setting a school record en route to a 4677-4493 victory.

However, WVU faces the three-time defending champion Nanooks, who remain unbeaten after closely defeating Army, 4645-4628. Alaska-Fairbanks has been a dominant force in rifle since winning its second NCAA title in 1999, earning a championship in every season since except for 2005 when Army emerged victorious.

WVU will attempt to nix its six-match regular-season slide against the Nanooks on Sunday. Boasting one of their most talented teams in program history, the Mountaineers are certainly capable of reversing their recent misfortunes against one of their arch rivals.

“Most of the hard work has been done,” says coach and 2008 Olympian Jon Hammond. “We just have a stronger team this year. We have as much depth as we’ve ever had and a lot of them are shooting well. Our freshman class that made All-Americans all came back and have that year of experience under its belt."

“We’ve had some new shooters come in and they’ve worked fine all year. Hopefully that’s just a case of carrying that forward and having another good performance on Sunday and having a good result.”

One of the newcomers helping to rejuvenate WVU’s rifle program is junior transfer Bryant Wallizer, a Little Orleans, Md., native who spent his time at Murray State from 2005-07. After sitting out last season as a redshirt, Wallizer has come on strong and recently shot a personal-best 593 score to lead the Mountaineers in air rifle.

Wallizer also led WVU’s air rifle group in its victory over No. 16 Nebraska, 4650-4622, last Friday. The 2008 CRCA Academic All-American scored 590 to once again pace the Mountaineers.

Compounding Wallizer’s efforts in air rifle is smallbore specialist Brandi Eskew, a returning First Team Smallbore NRA All-American from Petersburg, W.Va. Eskew led WVU with scores of 581 and 582, respectively, during last week’s successful competition against two ranked opponents. With several shooters clicking on all cylinders heading into WVU’s greatest challenge of the season, the Mountaineers look to use their recent string of success and utilize it effectively against the powerhouse Nanooks.

“Sure, you shoot the highest score that any team has shot this year and it certainly gives your team a lot of confidence,” Hammond admitted. “I think it gives them that belief that they can beat anyone. Every match is a new match and you have to go out again and repeat that performance."

“I don’t expect us to go out there every time and break records, but they have the belief and confidence that if they go out and have a solid performance, they can have a good team score.”

WVU’s only defeat of the season came in a close loss to top-ranked Kentucky, 4649-4639. Alaska-Fairbanks owns a win over the Wildcats this season, 4651-4635, while both squads have beaten Nebraska and Army.

Emerging as an unsung hero for WVU has been sophomore Andy Lamson. The Colchester, Vt., resident has stepped up for the Mountaineers this season after ending last season with a then-personal best score of 580 in smallbore.

Lamson has already topped his season-ending smallbore score three times this year, including a new personal-best of 582 against Morehead State and Ole Miss. But what has impressed Hammond the most is the strides he has made in air rifle.

“I think Andy has really stepped up this year and improved his all-around scores, especially in air rifle,” Hammond added. “He was probably the least experienced as a freshman and worked really hard and has taken his shooting to another level. Hopefully he can continue, and he’s been a really big contributor so far this year.”

As a result of several shooters enjoying breakthrough seasons, Hammond believes that his expectations heading into the season have been somewhat exceeded. Although he’s cautious that it is still fairly early in the year, the Scotland native believes his squad can attain an even greater success as the season progresses.

“On the whole, yes,” Hammond said when asked if this year’s team has met his expectations so far. “Especially with the last match, that was the kind of score that I knew they were capable of shooting. I wouldn’t say we struggled in the fall but we didn’t reach the expectations I thought we could reach. It comes more from just consistency across the whole team."

“I think the team realized that in last Saturday’s contest, no one had an exceptional day, but everyone had a good day. That’s really the biggest part of it. I think there is more to come, and I think all of them have aspects they can improve on and eventually reach higher scores.”

With the Mountaineer rifle program back on the rise, every shooter has his/her sights set on restoring WVU back to the glory years that saw it win 13 national championships from 1983-1998. Led by a fulfilling group of shooters that have made WVU prominent once again, the Mountaineers are looking to add another chapter to an already-rewarding season.

“Obviously it’s a big match and they have a lot of history and have been the big force over the last 10 years,” Hammond said of Alaska-Fairbanks. “We’ve got to take care of ourselves, and what they do has no impact on what we do.

“We’re just going to go out there, do our thing and concentrate on our performance. We can only work on the things that we can control. We’re trying to approach it like every other match, but in the back of their minds I’m sure they know that it’s a big match too.”

It didn't look right that WVU didn't have the rifle program. What was the Mountaineer suppose to use? Slingshot?

Now is the time to clean the clocks of the Nanooks of the North.

You guys make that a revenue sport, and you'll have it made.

I'm sure plenty would pay for a good shootin'

(01-24-2009 02:00 PM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  You guys make that a revenue sport, and you'll have it made.

I'm sure plenty would pay for a good shootin'

Especially if you pick the right targets...

Always looking for the right targets. Panthers, Bulls, Huskies, etc.

(01-24-2009 02:40 PM)meigseer Wrote:  Always looking for the right targets. Panthers, Bulls, Huskies, etc.

Been mauled by those Panther the last couple of times. You might want to look for a less dangerous target.

The Panthers have been shady the last couple years. The Mountaineers are bringing the light this year.

No more shady dealing...