In Lexington, Kentucky, the West Virginia Mountaineers triumphed in the 2025 NCAA national rifle championships, marking a significant victory for the team. This win is particularly notable as it is their first national title win since 2017, ending a previous five-year streak of consecutive championships. Last year, the Mountaineers had secured second place behind Texas Christian University (TCU).
During the competition, West Virginia achieved a team score of 2,350 in the smallbore category and 2,388 in the air rifle category, resulting in an overall aggregate score of 4,738. This narrowly surpassed the University of Kentucky, who finished just one point behind them. The University of Alaska Fairbanks claimed third place with an aggregate score of 4,726.
Alaska Fairbanks’ shooter, Rachael Charles, emerged as the top individual competitor, scoring 595 in the smallbore and 596 in the air rifle, making her aggregate score an impressive 1,191. The team from Alaska Fairbanks also excelled in the smallbore event, winning the team title, while Cecelia Ossi secured the individual title in this category on Friday night.
In the air rifle event, Audrey Gogniat achieved perfection with a flawless score of 600, earning her the individual air rifle championship. She narrowly outperformed Braden Peiser from Kentucky and Katie Zaun from Texas Christian, who both scored one point less. West Virginia claimed the team title in the air rifle category with their team score of 2,388.
