INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Navy rifle team was selected as one of eight teams that will compete at the upcoming NCAA Rifle National Championship, the national office announced Monday evening during its selection show. Hosted by Ohio State University, the championships will be held March 13-14 on campus at Converse Hall in Columbus, Ohio.
 
The Mids posted a qualification score of 9472.00 as their 4733.00 in the NCAA Qualifying Match was added to their average of 4739.00 which came from their three-highest scores from three different locations. Navy counted a home score of 4739 as well as road totals of 4733 at Army and 4745 at The Citadel.
 
Selection in the NCAA Championship marks the fifth time in the last eight seasons that the Midshipmen have qualified for the national championship. Navy, who has qualified for the NCAA Championship 31 times, will make its 30th appearance. The Midshipmen qualified as a team in 2020, but the championship was canceled due to COVID-19.
 
Navy's 30 appearances rank fifth in NCAA history behind West Virginia (42), Alaska Fairbanks (39), Murray State (36), and Kentucky (31).
 
Navy last earned a bid to the national championship field in 2024, finishing sixth overall after taking sixth in both smallbore and air rifle. The Midshipmen's best finishes at the national championship came in 1990 and 1999 after the Mids finished as the national runner ups.
 
Prior to the NCAA Rifle National Championship, Navy is set to take part in the Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championship this weekend in West Point, N.Y.
 
 
NCAA Rifle Championship
The top eight teams in both the smallbore and air rifle events were selected based on the average of the three highest regular-season aggregate scores with no more than one match at any given site. The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores from the designated qualifiers to determine the top eight teams.
 
Team Qualifiers
Alaska Fairbanks
Georgia Southern
Kentucky
Navy
Nebraska
Ole Miss
TCU
West Virginia
 
A total of 48 competitors will compete in the championships, with 40 competitors coming from the top eight teams selected. The remaining eight competitors were selected based on the scores submitted from the designated qualifier.
 
Individual Qualifiers (Smallbore)
Addison Antwiler, Army
Katrina Demerle, Memphis
Carlotta Salafia, Murray State
Lea Soulé, Murray State
 
Individual Qualifiers (Air Rifle)
Lily Wytko, Air Force
Caroline Martin, Murray State
Lily Miller, Air Force
Kameron Wells, UTEP
 
Alternates (Smallbore)
Riley Dunn, Ohio State
Alexander Pohlman, VMI
 
Alternates (Air Rifle)
Abby Ballard, Murray State
Carlee Valenta, UTEP
 
Individual and team competitions in smallbore (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 13, and individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 14. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution.
 
For more information about the 2026 NCAA Rifle Championship, visit ncaa.com.