Rifle Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

WVU Shooter Wins First Rio Gold

WVU’s Ginny Thrasher has won the first gold medal of the Rio Olympics in the women’s 10-meter air rifle.

Thrasher shot 10.5 on her first shot of the final elimination round and smiled after 10.4 on her second shot put her comfortably ahead of China’s Li Du.

Thrasher had a cumulative score of 208.0 to beat Du, a two-time gold medalist, by a point. China’s Siling Yu earned the bronze.

The 19-year Thrasher became the first freshman to win both individual NCAA rifle titles and helped West Virginia University win the team title. She followed that by winning the U.S. Olympic Trials less than a month later, earning a trip to Rio.

Thrasher is an engineering major from Springfield, Virginia and “owns more than 20 National Rifle Association and USA Shooting records,” according to the WVU Athletics website.

WVU Rifle Team Wins NCAA Championship

National Champs again! The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team won its 16th NCAA Championship in Murray, Ky., Friday.

The Mountaineers won the championship last year too, and it’s the third win under coach Jon Hammond. WVU’s first title under Hammond came in 2009. The rifle team is the only WVU program to win an NCAA Championship.

Hammond says it was a relaxed win, and that his team was confident, focused, and capable. He also expects good things next year as all five shooters that shot at this year’s championship will return.

WVU, the five-time reigning Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) champions, finished the 2013-14 campaign with a 10-0 overall record and a 7-0 conference mark.

Seven Mountaineers earned a combined 10 National Rifle Association All-America awards, while four Mountaineers were named to the College Rifle Coaches’ Association (CRCA) All-America Teams.

(Another) Decorated International Shooter Joins WVU Rifle Team

Junior Ziva Dvorsak who hails from Slovenia just enrolled at West Virginia University and will join the No. 3-ranked rifle team this spring. As a member of the Slovenian National Team, she competed at the 2012 London Summer Olympics and finished 11th in the women’s 10m air rifle. She also placed 36th another event, women’s 50m 3 positions.

Other accolades include awards from the 2013 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Munich World Cup, the 2013 Granada World Cup, and the 2013 Mediterranean Games.

Dvorsak attended the University of Ljubljana from 2010-13. She will study mathematics at West Virginia.