ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #8 Navy rifle team (3-0) hits the road for the first time during the 2026-27 season with a trip to Ohio. The Midshipmen begin competition on Saturday, Oct. 3 with a Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) match at #15 Akron (0-1) at the Robert A. Pinn Shooting Range in Akron, Ohio. The Mids conclude the weekend in Columbus, Ohio as Navy takes on #14 Ohio State (1-1) and #3 TCU (2-1) at Converse Hall on Sunday, Oct. 4. Both matches are slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. and live results will be available.
Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy posted an aggregate score of 4729 to sweep the opening day of competition for the 2026-27 season at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range. The Midshipmen edged #3 TCU, who scored 4718 points, while besting VMI's mixed team and women's team who tallied 4620 and 4595, respectively.
The victory over the Horned Frogs, who were the 2026 national runners-up, was the first in program history.
Navy set the standard in both disciplines, accumulating team totals of 2347 in smallbore and 2382 in air rifle, along with a match-best 317 center shots. The Midshipmen's team totals in both air rifle and aggregate scoring tied for seventh in program history with the smallbore tally coming in two points shy of tying for 10th in the school annals.
Navy was led by sophomore
Tyler Wee, who dominated the match by placing first across all individual categories with a match-high aggregate score of 1190. T. Wee earned top honors in smallbore with a score of 592 and topped the air rifle standings with a 598.
The Midshipmen swept the top three individual spots in air rifle. Following T. Wee's 598, freshman
Hannah Talbott finished second with a 597, and senior team captain
Isabella Baldwin captured third with a 596.
In the overall aggregate standings, Navy placed five shooters inside the top 10. Talbott finished second overall with an aggregate score of 1185 (588 smallbore, 597 air rifle), winning the tiebreaker for second place over TCU's Marissa Fedora on center shots (84 to 83). Baldwin took fourth overall with 1184 points (588 SB, 596 AR).
Senior
Ryan Wee finished eighth with a total score of 1171 (578 SB, 593 AR), while fellow senior
Chelsie Glover placed 10th with an 1170 aggregate (579 SB, 591 AR).
Additional performances for the Midshipmen included freshman
Liam Conklin (574 SB, 579 AR), freshman
Sang Van (570 SB, 584 AR), sophomore
Audrey Hart (566 SB, 582 AR), sophomore
Preston Everette (565 SB, 582 AR), freshman
Madison Thompson (562 SB, 580 AR), and senior
John Dely (543 SB, 561 AR).
Scouting the Opposition
Akron: Akron opened the 2026-27 season on Sept. 26 at Nebraska, dropping a 4743-4673 decision to the Cornhuskers. The Zips enter the year with a strong combination of returning veterans and talented newcomers.
Returning veteran Logan McClimans, last season's Most Improved Air Rifle Shooter, enters the year with momentum after regularly reaching the 580s in smallbore and 590s in air rifle during preseason training. Matthew Kimball returns following a breakout freshman campaign that earned him Akron Rookie of the Year honors. The Zips also welcome a talented group of newcomers. Maddie Allen arrives in Akron after breaking the NRA 3P national record over the summer and has impressed early with her composure under pressure. Freshman Cohen Ahner has shown early strength in air rifle, while Megan Fondy, the reigning National Junior ROTC 3P Air Rifle Champion, brings championship experience and a strong work ethic to the Akron lineup.
Ohio State: The Ohio State rifle team opened its 2026-27 season against Ole Miss (4711) and UT Martin (4597) in Oxford, Mississippi. The team fired a total score of 4651, led by Mackenzie Pruden, who finished with an aggregate score of 1168.
In smallbore, the team put up a score of 2309 led by sophomore Mackenzie Pruden, who finished with a 581. Riley Dunn (578), Natalie Samson (578), Ella Sprague (572) and Ally Wodka (569) rounded out scoring. Summer Lytle led the way for the individuals with a 572 and freshman Annika Cry finished with a 562.
In air rifle, the Buckeyes totaled 2342, led by a 588 from freshman Ally Wodka. Mackenzie Pruden (587), Ella Sprague (585), Annika Cry (582) and Riley Dunn (582) counted toward the team's score. Freshman Natalie Samson led individual scoring with a 587. Emily Valenta (581) and Summer Lytle (576) also shot as individuals.
TCU: The TCU rifle team opened the 2026-27 campaign with a solid score at Navy. The Horned Frogs finished second in the four-team match with an aggregate score of 4718. TCU fired a team score of 2345 in smallbore and a 2373 in air rifle to finish second in the match. The Horned Frogs fired five of the top 10 aggregate scores in the match.
Marissa Fedora led the Frogs and finished third with an aggregate score of 1185. Christina Hillinger (1178), Amanda Pettersen (1177) and Rylie Passmore (1173) finished fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. In her collegiate debut, Viola Allen was ninth among competitors with an aggregate of 1170.
Fedora led all TCU shooters and fired the second-highest smallbore score in the match. Her 591 marks the fifth time in her career she has surpassed the 590-plateau. Pettersen fired a 587 to finish fifth. Rosenlew contributed a 584 and Hillinger a 583 to finish sixth and seventh, respectively. Rylie Passmore rounded out the TCU counters with a 581.
Six Frogs finished in the top 10 individually in air rifle. Hillinger led all TCU counters and finished fifth with a 595. Fedora (594), Allen (592) and Passmore (592) also served as counters in the match. Ziva Swick led all TCU shooters and finished fourth among competitors with a 595 in air rifle. In her collegiate debut Isabella Cilliers' 592 was ninth among shooters.
