NCAA rifle championships

The NCAA rifle championships are contested at an annual competition sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the team and individual champions of co-educational collegiate rifle among its member programs in the United States.^[1] Unlike many NCAA sports, only one National Collegiate championship is held each season with teams from Division I, Division II, and Division III competing together. It has been held in mid-March every year since 1980, except 2020.

NCAA rifle championships

Most recent season or competition: 2025 NCAA Rifle Championships
Association	NCAA
Sport	College rifle
Founded	1980; 45 years ago (1980)
Division	Division I, Division II, and Division III
No. of teams	8 teams 48 individual shooters
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Team: West Virginia (20) Small-bore: Cecilia Ossi, Alaska Air rifle: Audrey Gognait, Ole Miss
Most titles	Team: West Virginia (20) Small-bore: West Virginia (13) Air rifle: West Virginia (15)
Official website	NCAA.com

The two-day event includes individual and team titles with team scoring based on the aggregate performances of individual shooters across a set of smallbore and air rifle competitions.

West Virginia have been the most successful program at the team and individual levels; the Mountaineers have won 20 team and 28 individual titles.

The current team national champions are West Virginia, who won their twentieth team national championship at the 2025 event, held at the Memorial Coliseum at University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY from March 14-15. Cecilia Ossi of Alaska won the individual championship for smallbore, while Audrey Gognait of Ole Miss won the individual championship for air rifle.

Background

Co-ed status

Under NCAA rules, sports teams that include both men and women are designated as men's teams for purposes of sports sponsorship and scholarship limitations.^[2][a] Nonetheless, rifle has been a coed sport since 1980, a year before the NCAA began holding championships in women's sports. Schools sponsoring rifle may field anywhere from one to three teams. If a school chooses to sponsor more than one team, it may have any combination of men's, women's, and coed teams. Two schools field men's and women's teams, and three field women's and coed teams.

Programs

Main article: List of NCAA rifle programs

Conferences

• Great America Rifle Conference
• Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference
• Ohio Valley Conference, the only Division I all-sports conference that sponsored rifle before the SoCon added it in 2016–17.
• Patriot Rifle Conference
• Southern Conference; resumed the sport in 2016–17 after a 30-year hiatus.

Results

• Prior to NCAA sponsorship in 1980, a collegiate rifle championship was held yearly by the National Rifle Association.
• From 1980 to 2004, the championship consisted of 120 shots by each competitor in smallbore, and 40 shots per competitor in air rifle. Since 2005, the championship has consisted of 60 shots for both smallbore and air rifle, equaling a total of 120 shots per team member.^[6]

NCAA Rifle Championships
Year	Site	Venue / Range		Team Championship					Smallbore			Air Rifle
				Winner	Points	Runner-up	Points		Winner	Score		Winner	Score
1980 Details	Johnson City, TN	ETSU Athletic Center		Tennessee Tech	6,201	West Virginia	6,150		Rod Fitz-Randolph (Tennessee Tech)	1,176		Rod Fitz-Randolph (Tennessee Tech)	389
1981 Details	West Point, NY	U.S. Military Academy		Tennessee Tech	6,139	West Virginia	6,136		Kurt Fitz-Randolph (Tennessee Tech)	1,173		John Rost (West Virginia)	391
1982 Details	Lexington, VA	Kilbourne Hall		Tennessee Tech	6,138	West Virginia	6,136		Kurt Fitz-Randolph (Tennessee Tech)	1,167		John Rost (West Virginia)	390
1983 Details	Cincinnati, OH	Xavier University Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,166	Tennessee Tech	6,148		David Johnson (West Virginia)	1,175		Ray Slonena (Tennessee Tech)	389
1984 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,206	ETSU	6,142		Bob Broughton (West Virginia)	1,172		Pat Spurgin (Murray State)	388
1985 Details	West Point, NY	U.S. Military Academy		Murray State	6,150	West Virginia	6,149		Pat Spurgin (Murray State)	1,168		Christian Heller (West Virginia)	387
1986 Details	Annapolis, MD	Bancroft Hall Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,229	Murray State	6,163		Mike Anti (West Virginia)	1,167		Marianne Wallace (Murray State)	392
1987 Details	Cincinnati, OH	Xavier University Rifle Range		Murray State	6,205	West Virginia	6,203		Web Wright (West Virginia)	1,174		Rob Harbison (Tennessee–Martin)	392
1988 Details	Lexington, VA	Kilbourne Hall		West Virginia	6,192	Murray State	6,183		Web Wright (West Virginia)	1,168		Deena Wigger (Murray State)	390
1989 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,234	South Florida	6,180		Deb Sinclair (Alaska)	1,171		Michelle Scarborough (South Florida)	399
1990 Details	Annapolis, MD	Bancroft Hall Rifle Rang		West Virginia	6,205	Navy	6,101		Michelle Scarborough (South Florida)	1,165		Gary Hardy (West Virginia)	393
1991 Details	West Point, NY	U.S. Military Academy		West Virginia	6,171	Alaska	6,110		Soma Dutta (UTEP)	1,171		Ann-Marie Pfiffner (West Virginia)	391
1992 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,214	Alaska	6,166		Tim Manges (West Virginia)	1,172		Ann-Marie Pfiffner (West Virginia)	390
1993 Details	Lexington, VA	Kilbourne Hall		West Virginia	6,179	Alaska	6,169		Eric Uptagrafft (West Virginia)	1,174		Trevor Gathman (West Virginia)	390
1994 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		Alaska	6,196	West Virginia	6,187		Cory Brunetti (Alaska)	1,173		Nancy Napolski (Kentucky)	391
1995 Details	Annapolis, MD	Bancroft Hall Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,241	Air Force	6,187		Oleg Seleznev (Alaska)	1,177		Benjamin Belden (Murray State)	390
1996 Details	US Air Force Academy, CO	Cadet Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,179	Air Force	6,168		Joe Johnson (Navy)	1,170		Trevor Gathman (West Virginia)	394
1997 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		West Virginia	6,223	Kentucky	6,175		Marcos Scrivner (West Virginia)	1,176		Marra Hastings (Murray State)	393
1998 Details				West Virginia	6,214	Alaska	6,211		Karyn Juziuk (Xavier)	1,169		Emily Caruso (Norwich)	393
1999 Details	Northfield, VT	Norwich University Rifle Range		Alaska	6,276	Navy	6,168		Kelly Mansfield (Alaska)	1,185		Kelly Mansfield (Alaska)	396
2000 Details	Lexington, VA	Kilbourne Hall		Alaska	6,285	Xavier	6,156		Nicole Allaire (Nebraska)	1,183		Kelly Mansfield (Alaska)	398
2001 Details	Columbus, OH	Lt. Hugh W. Wylie Range		Alaska	6,283	Kentucky	6,175		Matthew Emmons (Alaska)	1,178		Matthew Emmons (Alaska)	392
2002 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		Alaska	6,241	Kentucky	6,209		Matthew Emmons (Alaska)	1,190		Ryan Tanoue (Nevada)	392
2003 Details	West Point, NY	Tronsrue Marksmanship Center		Alaska	6,287	Xavier	6,197		Matthew Emmons (Alaska)	1,191		Jamie Beyerle (Alaska)	395
2004 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range		Alaska	6,273	Nevada	6,185		Matthew Rawlings (Alaska)	1,179		Morgan Hicks (Murray State)	398
2005 Details	Reno, NV	Nevada Wolf Pack Rifle Range		Army	4,659	Jacksonville State	4,658		Matthew Rawlings (Alaska)	686.5		Beth Tidmore (Memphis)	694.2
2006 Details	US Air Force Academy, CO	Cadet Rifle Range		Alaska	4,682	Nebraska	4,666		Jamie Beyerle (Alaska)	690.5		Kristina Fehlings (Nebraska)	694.0
2007 Details	Fairbanks, AK	E.F. Horton Rifle Range		Alaska	4,662	Army	4,644		Josh Albright (Navy)	679.5		Michael Dickinson (Jacksonville State)	692.2
2008 Details	West Point, NY	Tronsrue Marksmanship Center		Alaska	4,662	Army	4,652		Chris Abalo (Army)	687.6		Patrik Sartz (Alaska)	696.4
2009 Details	Fort Worth, TX	TCU Rifle Range		West Virginia	4,643	Kentucky	4,638		Brian Carstensen (Jacksonville State)	682.2		Jenna Compton (Akron)	691.6
2010 Details				TCU	4,675	Alaska	4,653		Sarah Scherer (TCU)	685		Jonathan Hall (Columbus State)	699.9
2011 Details	Fort Benning, GA	US Army Marksmanship Unit		Kentucky	4,700	West Virginia	4,697		Ethan Settlemires (Kentucky)	691.0		Nicco Campriani (West Virginia)	701.0
2012 Details	Columbus, OH	Lt. Hugh W. Wylie Range		TCU	4,676	Kentucky	4,661		Sarah Scherer (TCU)	688.6		Petra Zublasing (West Virginia)	696.2
2013[7] Details				West Virginia	4,679	Kentucky	4,670		Petra Zublasing (West Virginia)	598		Petra Zublasing (West Virginia)	701.7
2014 Details	Murray, KY	Pat Spurgin Rifle Range & CFSB Center		West Virginia	4,705	Alaska	4,677		Tim Sherry (Alaska)	452.1		Connor Davis (Kentucky)	205.4
2015 Details	Fairbanks, AK	E.F. Horton Rifle Range		West Virginia	4,702	Alaska	4,700		Rachel Martin (Nebraska)	453.3		Maren Prediger (West Virginia)	205.8
2016 Details	Akron, OH	Stile Athletics Field House		West Virginia	4,703	TCU	4,694		Ginny Thrasher (West Virginia)	461.5		Ginny Thrasher (West Virginia)	208.8
2017 Details	Columbus, OH	French Field House		West Virginia	4,723	TCU	4,706		Morgan Phillips (West Virginia)	464.3		Milica Babic (West Virginia)	208.1
2018 Details	Charleston, SC	McAlister Field House & Inouye Hall		Kentucky	4,717	West Virginia	4,708		Morgan Phillips (West Virginia)	459.4		Henrik Larsen (Kentucky)	249.4
2019 Details	Morgantown, WV	WVU Coliseum		TCU	4,699	West Virginia	4,692		Elizabeth Marsh (TCU)	456.9		Kristen Hemphill (TCU)	248.2
2020	Canceled due to COVID-19
2021 Details	Columbus, OH	Converse Hall		Kentucky	4,731	TCU	4,722		Mary Tucker (Kentucky)	463.3		Mary Tucker (Kentucky)	249.4
2022 Details	Colorado Springs, CO	Clune Arena		Kentucky	4,739	TCU	4,736		William Shaner (Kentucky)	459.7		Scott Rockett (Air Force)	250.2
2023 Details	Akron, OH	James A. Rhodes Arena		Alaska	4,729	TCU	4,717		Cecilia Ossi (Nebraska)	16-8		Rylan Kissell (Alaska)	17-9
2024 Details	Morgantown, WV	WVU Coliseum		TCU	4,732	West Virginia	4,729		Mary Tucker (West Virginia)	462.0		Gavin Barnick (West Virginia)	251.7
2025 Details	Lexington, KY	Memorial Coliseum		West Virginia	4,738	Kentucky	4,737		Cecelia Ossi (Alaska)	464.7		Audrey Gogniat (Ole Miss)	251.0
2026 Details	Columbus, OH	St. John Arena

Champions

Team titles

West Virginia

Alaska

TCU

Tennessee Tech

Kentucky

Murray
State

Army

20, 11, 4, 3, 2, 1

Team	#	Years
West Virginia	20	1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2025
Alaska	11	1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023
Kentucky	4	2011, 2018, 2021, 2022
TCU		2010, 2012, 2019, 2024
Tennessee Tech	3	1980, 1981, 1982
Murray State	2	1985, 1987
Army	1	2005

Appearances by Team

Key

•  CH  National Champion
•  RU  National Runner-up
• Numbers indicate the placement of the team in that tournament beyond second

School	Conference	#	CH	80	81	82	83	84	85	86	87	88	89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	21	22	23	24
West Virginia	GARC	40	19	RU	RU	RU	CH	CH	RU	CH	RU	CH	CH	CH	CH	CH	CH	RU	CH	CH	CH	CH	3	6	3	7	7					6	CH	3	RU	6	CH	CH	CH	CH	CH	RU	RU	4	6	5	RU
Alaska	PRC	37	11	9								5	6	6	RU	RU	RU	CH	5	5	3	RU	CH	CH	CH	CH	CH	CH	4	CH	CH	CH	4	RU	6	3	4	RU	RU	6	5	6	8	5	3	CH	3
Kentucky	GARC	29	4															3	3	3	RU	3	6		RU	RU	6	8	6	7	4	5	RU	4	CH	RU	RU	3	6	5	4	CH	5	CH	CH	3	4
TCU	PRC	17	4																												5ᴛ	3	5	CH	3	CH	3	6	3	RU	RU	3	CH	RU	RU	RU	CH
Tennessee Tech	defunct	15	3	CH	CH	CH	RU	3	4	4	4	4	3	3											7	5	8	7
Murray State	OVC	35	2	4	5	5	4	5	CH	RU	CH	RU	5	4	5	3	7	5	4		4	4	4	8	5	4	3	9		5	8			7	5				8	3	3	4	4		7	8
Army	GARC	21	1	7ᴛ	6	6	5	6	5	3	6															9		4	CH	3	RU	RU	6	5	8	4	6	8					6
Air Force	PRC	22	-	10	10								4				3	4	RU	RU	5	7	9	7			10										5		7	4	8	5	3	8	5	7	5
Navy	GARC	29	-	6	7	7					5	8		RU		4	6	6	6	4	6	6	RU	5	8	6	9	3	5	4	7	7	7	8	7								7		8		6
Nebraska	PRC	17	-																					3	6			6	3	RU	5ᴛ	4		6			7	5	4	8	6	8		6		6	8
Jacksonville State		14	-																			5	8	9	9		5		RU	8	3		3		4	7	8	7	5
Xavier	defunct	11	-											5		5	5			6			7	RU	4	3	RU	5	9
Nevada	defunct	8	-																							10	4	RU	8	9		8	8			8
East Tennessee State	defunct	7	-	3	3	4	3	RU	3	5ᴛ
Eastern Kentucky	defunct	6	-	5	4	3	6	4	6
Ole Miss	GARC	5	-																											6														3	4	4	7
St. John's	defunct	4	-		8	8						7			6
South Florida	defunct	4	-							5ᴛ	3	3	RU
Norwich		4	-														4				7		5	4
Ohio State	PRC	4	-												3																									7	7	7
Memphis	GARC	3	-																										7									4						7
UTEP	PRC	3	-										7																10							5
Eastern Washington	defunct	2	-				7	7
UT Martin	OVC	2	-						7			6
Western Kentucky	defunct	1	-	7ᴛ
Penn State	defunct	1	-		9
NC State	defunct	1	-			9
Washington State	defunct	1	-							7
Canisius	defunct	1	-												4
Coast Guard	defunct	1	-																							8

Individual titles

Schools in italics no longer compete in NCAA rifle.

Team	Titles	Smallbore	Air Rifle
West Virginia	28	13 (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2024)	15 (1981, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2024)
Alaska	18	12 (1989, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2014, 2025)	6 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2023)
Kentucky	8	3 (2011, 2021, 2022)	5 (1994, 2014, 2018, 2021)
Murray State	7	1 (1985)	6 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1995, 1997, 2004)
Tennessee Tech	5	3 (1980, 1981, 1982)	2 (1980, 1983)
TCU	4	3 (2010, 2012, 2019)	1 (2019)
Nebraska	4	3 (2000, 2015, 2023)	1 (2006)
Jacksonville State	2	1 (2009)	1 (2007)
Navy	2	2 (1996, 2007)	0
South Florida	2	1 (1990)	1 (1989)
Air Force	1	0	1 (2022)
Akron	1	0	1 (2009)
Army	1	1 (2008)	0
Columbus State	1	0	1 (2010)
Memphis	1	0	1 (2005)
Nevada	1	0	1 (2002)
Norwich	1	0	1 (1998)
Xavier	1	1 (1998)	0
UT Martin	1	0	1 (1987)
UTEP	1	1 (1991)	0
Ole Miss	1	0	1 (2025)

See also

• Pre-NCAA Intercollegiate Rifle Champions (1905-1979)
• Pre-NCAA Women's Intercollegiate Rifle Champions

Footnotes

1. While all members of NCAA Divisions I and II are limited to the equivalent of 3.6 full scholarships in rifle per school in any academic year,^[3][4] Division II members are also limited to 60 scholarship equivalents in men's sports apart from football and basketball.^[5]