season ranked in the top three in the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Poll. After opening the season at No. 3, WVU needed just two weeks to move up to the No. 1 spot, which the team claimed on Oct. 25 on the strength of its 4693 score shot in its win over Army. The ranking was the squad’s first top billing since its No. 1-ranking in March, 2011, prior to its second-place finish at the NCAA Championships. WVU spent only one week at No. 1 and finished the year ranked No. 6.
Senior Duo Completes Career Together Justin Pentz and Michael Kulbacki, high school teammates at DuBois Area High, completed their Mountaineer career together with a list of accolades, including a combined 10 NRA All-America honors. Pentz and Kulbacki led the Mountaineers to their third straight GARC title, as well as a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, Pentz concluded his GARC career with a fifth-place finish in air rifle with a score of 694.6 (591, 103.6). As freshmen, the duo was integral in WVU’s 14th national title win in 2009, as Kulbacki shot on the historic air rifle team and Pentz pushed his teammates in the range throughout
the year.
Zublasing Shoots 600! Petra Zublasing became the first female collegiate shooter to earn a perfect 600 air rifle score when she shot the collegiate record in the Mountaineers’ home season-opening victory over Army on Oct. 22. Zublasing was the second WVU shooter in as many seasons to attain the record, as Nicco Campriani also shot 600 air rifle during the 2011-12 season. In addition to her collegiate record, Zublasing’s score was comparable to a world record, though she did not receive credit for the record; females only shoot 40 shots in air rifle internationally. Zublasing finished the match with wins in smallbore (586) and combined score (1186), too.
Mountaineers Handle Tough Second-Half Schedule Coach Jon Hammond back-loaded the Mountaineers’ 2011-12 schedule, as the team lined-up against Alaska-Fairbanks, TCU and Kentucky in three of its final five regular-season matches in preparation for the postseason. Though the squad did not emerge undefeated,
Justin Pentz
Petra Zublasing the team went a respectable 3-2, including a 40shot win over then-No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks (46764626), on Jan. 20. The Mountaineers earned wins in both guns and evened the all-time series at 6-6. WVU also won at Ohio State (4680-4616) and defeated NC State (4647-4577). WVU’s only two losses of the season came in back-to-back matches, as the team fell, 4701-4669, at then-No. 1 TCU on Jan. 28, and 4680-4650 to then-No. 2 Kentucky, on Feb. 3, at the WVU Rifle Range.
Petra Zublasing 51
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2012-13 Rifle