For First Time in History, NCAA Championship to be Hosted by WVU as Rifle Competition Coming in 2019
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on April 18, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
The NCAA announced today that West Virginia University will play host to the 2019 NCAA Rifle National Championships on March 8-9.
Additionally, WVU will play host to the 2021 NCAA Morgantown Gymnastics Regional Championships on April 3, at the WVU Coliseum.
The 2019 NCAA Rifle National Championships marks the first time in school history WVU will be the host site for an NCAA Championships final.
“It is a tremendous honor for West Virginia University to host the 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships,” WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons said. “We are very proud of our successful rifle program, and there is no better place to hold the NCAA’s greatest match than in Morgantown.”
The Mountaineers are the five-time reigning NCAA National Champions. WVU has won a nation-best 19 titles, including six under 11-year coach Jon Hammond.
“We are incredibly excited to host the 2019 NCAA National Championships,” Hammond said. “We’re especially excited because this will be the first time WVU has hasted a final championship in any sport. I am positive the University and the WVU Athletic Department will host a first-class championship.
“The history and the tradition of the WVU rifle program, as well as our recent success, will surely make this championship even more special. I feel confident that Mountaineer Nation will be incredibly excited to watch and support a National Championship in Morgantown.”
The WVU gymnastics team has hosted 10 regional championships. Most recently, the Mountaineers tallied a program regional-record score of 196.325 and finished in third place at the 2017 NCAA Morgantown Regional Championships on April 1 at the WVU Coliseum.
“We’re always excited to host the NCAA Regional Championships, as it’s an opportunity to welcome some of the best gymnastics teams in the country to the WVU Coliseum,” Mountaineer coach Jason Butts said. “It’s a great experience for our fans and the visiting teams, as I feel the WVU Athletic Department hosts an amazing meet. It’s always nice to have a home-court advantage, too.”
More information about both championships will be released on later dates.
