Back-to-back champs, nine returning shooters and a schedule that runs straight through the sport’s heavyweights. Here’s your guide to the Mountaineers’ run at history.
One of the most dominant programs in college sports doesn’t play in a stadium. West Virginia rifle competes on a mobile range inside a building in Morgantown, and it just put a schedule on the calendar with a third straight national championship in its sights.
West Virginia announced its 2026-27 rifle schedule on September 4, six months after the Mountaineers won an NCAA-record 21st national title in Columbus. With back-to-back championships, nine returning shooters, a conference championship on home turf and a national final in Statesboro, the road to a three-peat is mapped out. Here’s what to know.
How West Virginia rifle won its 21st NCAA championship
The 2026 NCAA Rifle Championships, held March 13-14 at Ohio State‘s Covelli Center, came down to a second-day rally that has become West Virginia’s signature.
After Friday’s smallbore round, the Mountaineers sat fourth. Ole Miss led at 2,356, TCU and Nebraska were tied at 2,354, and WVU was three points back at 2,353. In a sport where a single point routinely decides a title, that’s a real hole.
Then came Saturday. West Virginia shot a 2,395 in air rifle, tying the NCAA championship record, and blew past the field.
| Place | Team | Smallbore | Air Rifle | Total |
| 1 | West Virginia | 2,353 | 2,395 | 4,748 |
| 2 | TCU | 2,354 | 2,387 | 4,741 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 2,356 | 2,382 | 4,738 |
| 4 | Kentucky | 2,353 | 2,383 | 4,736 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 2,354 | 2,382 | 4,736 |
| 6 | Navy | 2,346 | 2,376 | 4,722 |
| 7 | Georgia Southern | 2,338 | 2,379 | 4,717 |
| 8 | Alaska Fairbanks | 2,334 | 2,380 | 4,714 |
Twelve points separated the top five teams. Kentucky and Nebraska tied at 4,736 and had to be split by center-shot count. A year earlier, WVU had beaten Kentucky for the 2025 title by exactly one point, 4,738 to 4,737. This is what parity looks like when everyone is nearly perfect.
The title was the eighth for head coach Jon Hammond. West Virginia finished the season 18-1, went 5-0 in the Great America Rifle Conference, swept the GARC regular-season and tournament titles, and earned a White House invitation in April.
The stars of Columbus
Griffin Lake, West Virginia. Named Most Outstanding Performer with the top individual aggregate of 1,194 (595 smallbore, 599 air rifle). He took bronze in both individual finals, then set two records at the ISSF Junior World Championships in June. He’s back for his senior season.
Audrey Gogniat, Ole Miss. Shot a perfect 600 in air rifle qualifying, the fourth perfect score of her career and something only three shooters in NCAA history have done. She then won a shootout against Nebraska’s Katlyn Sullivan, 251.0 to 249.9, for her second straight air rifle title, and added a silver in smallbore.
Braden Peiser, Kentucky. Tied the championship smallbore record with a 596 in qualifying, then held off Gogniat in the final, 466.0 to 464.4.
Océanne Muller, West Virginia. Made both individual finals as a freshman and finished fourth in the overall aggregate at 1,191. She’s back too.
Who’s back in Morgantown
WVU returns nine shooters and adds one newcomer:
- Seniors: Griffin Lake, Lauri Syrja
- Juniors: Ashlyn Blake, Camryn Camp, Jennifer Kocher, Jacob Wisman
- Sophomores: Océanne Muller, Jack Ogoreuc, Hana Strakusek
- Freshman: Karlie Lynn, a decorated prep shooter from Pennsylvania
Kocher made the air rifle final in Columbus with a 599 qualifying score, and Camp shot a 598. Add Muller’s breakout year and Lake’s MOP form, and this is one of the deepest lineups in the sport. Eight of these shooters were also named CRCA Scholastic All-Americans in June, which tells you what the classroom side of the program looks like.
The 2026-27 West Virginia rifle schedule
Four regular-season home matches, seven on the road, and a postseason that runs through Morgantown before finishing in Georgia. Match times are still to be announced.
| Date | Matchup | Site |
| Sept. 26 | vs. Mount Aloysius | Morgantown |
| Oct. 3 | at Army (GARC) | West Point, N.Y. |
| Oct. 4 | vs. John Jay and Norwich (neutral site) | West Point, N.Y. |
| Oct. 17 | at Georgia Southern | Statesboro, Ga. |
| Oct. 18 | at Georgia Southern, with UAB | Statesboro, Ga. |
| Oct. 24 | vs. Memphis (GARC) | Morgantown |
| Nov. 14-15 | Fall Classic vs. Kentucky, Nebraska, TCU, Ole Miss | Morgantown |
| Jan. 15-16 | at Alaska Fairbanks (two matches) | Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Jan. 23 | vs. Navy (GARC) | Morgantown |
| Jan. 30 | at Akron (GARC) | Akron, Ohio |
| Feb. 13 | at Kentucky (GARC) | Lexington, Ky. |
| Feb. 20 | NCAA Qualifier | Morgantown |
| Feb. 27-28 | GARC Championships | Morgantown |
| March 12-13 | NCAA Championships | Statesboro, Ga. |
Three dates to circle
Nov. 14-15, the Fall Classic. The five teams that finished 1-5 at the 2026 NCAA Championship, all in one building in Morgantown. It’s a national championship rematch in November.
Feb. 13, at Kentucky. The Wildcats lost the 2025 title to WVU by one point, finished fourth in 2026 and have the reigning individual smallbore champion in Peiser. A conference match in Lexington with the GARC regular-season title possibly on the line is as good as regular-season rifle gets.
March 12-13, the NCAA Championships in Statesboro. Georgia Southern hosts, and West Virginia goes for three in a row. The Mountaineers have done it before: they won three straight from 2015 to 2017.
Why rifle is the ultimate fan-fueled sport
Here’s the part most fans never see. Rifle is a co-ed, non-revenue sport. No TV deal, no 60,000-seat crowd, no jersey sales. The athletes in that table above, the ones separated by a single point after two days and 120 shots apiece, train year-round with a fraction of the attention a backup football lineman gets.
That’s exactly the gap fan-powered NIL was built to close. On RallyFuel, every D1, D2 and D3 athlete has a profile, from the starting quarterback to the shooter who made the air rifle final with a 599. Put Fuel behind an Olympic-sport athlete and it’s refund-protected: if they don’t end up at the school you designated, every dollar comes back to you.
So if you’ve got Mountaineer blood, or you’re a Horned Frog, a Rebel, a Wildcat or a Husker who thinks your program is closing the gap, this is the season to do more than watch. Fuel a shooter. Then head to the Rally Pit and make your call: does WVU three-peat, or does the field catch them in Statesboro?
West Virginia rifle FAQ
How many NCAA rifle titles does West Virginia have? Twenty-one, the most of any program, including back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026.
When does the 2026-27 West Virginia rifle season start? Sept. 26, 2026, at home against Mount Aloysius in Morgantown.
Who coaches West Virginia rifle? Jon Hammond, who has won eight NCAA championships with the Mountaineers, including the last two.
Is college rifle co-ed? Yes. The NCAA rifle championship is a National Collegiate championship for men and women, and teams compete with mixed rosters.
Where is the 2027 NCAA Rifle Championship? Statesboro, Georgia, hosted by Georgia Southern, March 12-13, 2027.
Who was the top individual shooter at the 2026 championship? West Virginia’s Griffin Lake, the Most Outstanding Performer with a 1,194 aggregate.
