The record-setting championship West Virginia rifle team visited the White House Friday and met President Donald Trump. They visited as part of the Collegiate National Champions of 2016 and 2017 event.
The team won its fifth straight NCAA championship back in March with a record score. The NCAA reported on the win…
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The No. 2-ranked West Virginia University rifle team claimed its fifth straight NCAA title Saturday in commanding fashion, shooting a championship-record 4723 aggregate score at the 2017 NCAA Rifle Championships inside Ohio State’s French Field House.
Owning a two-shot advantage thanks to a winning, 2336 smallbore score shot Friday, WVU secured its nation-best 19th national championship with a season-high 2387 air rifle score.
In addition, two of the team members won individual titles. Including a freshman:
In addition to the team title, freshman Milica Babic became the second Mountaineer rookie in as many days to win an individual title, as she shot 208.1 in the final to claim the 2017 NCAA air rifle championship. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Babic entered the final in first place with a 598 (100-99-100-100-99-100) relay score.
Amazingly, Milica’s room-mate also won an individual title.
Classmate Morgan Phillips, who won the NCAA smallbore title Friday with a 464.3 final score, finished second behind Babic with a 207.2 mark. The final two shots were tight between the roommates, as each shot a 10.9 in the second-to-last shot.
For her efforts all weekend, Phillips earned the NCAA Championships’ Top Performer Award.
“Morgan shot a personal best both days, and that’s unbelievable at an event like this,” Hammond said. “She’s so calm but also mentally tough. She did a great job.”
No word on whether or not the team kibitzed at all with the Secret Service marksmen. Given the team’s performance shooting under pressure, they might have some tips to pass along for POTUS’s protective detail.
One person not seen at the White House this week: Hillary Clinton. Somehow I suspect that if she’d won last year’s election, WVU would still be waiting for their invitation to Castle, the Secret Service’s code name for the White House.