MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (September 15, 2015) – The 2015 NCAA Champion West Virginia University rifle team is ranked No. 1 in the 2015-16 Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Preseason Poll.
The three-time reigning national champions also were ranked No. 1 in the final regular-season poll of 2014-15.
Preseason rankings are based on a point total centered on coaches’ first-place votes. WVU earned 276 points. Alaska-Fairbanks ranks No. 2 with 255 points, while TCU is No. 3 (250), Kentucky is No. 4 (235) and Nebraska is No. 5 (215).
Murray State (204) is ranked No. 6, with Ohio State (188) and Jacksonville State (176) following at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. Air Force (174) is ranked No. 9, and Memphis (134) is No. 10.
Six All-Americans return for the Mountaineers, including eight-time All-American Garrett Spurgeon. Spurgeon is joined by senior classmates Michael Bamsey, Meelis Kiisk and Patrick Sunderman.
WVU opens the 2015-16 season with two shoulder-to-shoulder matches at Air Force. The team will line up against the Falcons on Saturday, Oct. 10, before opening its Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) season against the Huskers on Oct. 11. Both matches are expected to begin at 10 a.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVURifle on Twitter.
