West Virginia Qualifies for 2026 NCAA Rifle National Championships
February 23, 2026 06:07 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 4-ranked West Virginia University rifle team will compete for its nation-best 21st NCAA title at the 2025-26 NCAA Championships, as announced on Monday by the NCAA Rifle Committee.
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The NCAA Championships are being hosted by Ohio State and are scheduled for March 13-14. The season-ending event will take place inside the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
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West Virginia has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the last 18 postseasons, all of which have come under Jon Hammond's leadership. WVU owns a nation-best 20 national titles and has won seven under Hammond, including five straight from 2013-17. West Virginia is looking to repeat as champions for the first time since winning in 2016 and 2017.
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The Mountaineers qualified as the field's fourth-ranked team with a qualifying mark of 9485.67. Joining WVU at this year's championships are No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 TCU, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 6 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 7 Navy and No. 8 Georgia Southern.
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This year's field earned championship bids based on the average of its three highest regular-season aggregate scores, with each score recorded at a different range. The average of the three scores was then added to the aggregate total from the team's designated qualifier to determine the final field.
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A total of 48 competitors will compete at the championships, with eight selected as individual qualifiers. An NCAA rule stipulates that a school that qualified is prohibited from sending individual qualifiers.
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Next up, West Virginia is on the road for the 2025-26 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships, at the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center in West Point, New York. The event will take place on Feb. 28 and March 1 with both sessions beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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The NCAA Championships are being hosted by Ohio State and are scheduled for March 13-14. The season-ending event will take place inside the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Â
West Virginia has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the last 18 postseasons, all of which have come under Jon Hammond's leadership. WVU owns a nation-best 20 national titles and has won seven under Hammond, including five straight from 2013-17. West Virginia is looking to repeat as champions for the first time since winning in 2016 and 2017.
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The Mountaineers qualified as the field's fourth-ranked team with a qualifying mark of 9485.67. Joining WVU at this year's championships are No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 TCU, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 6 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 7 Navy and No. 8 Georgia Southern.
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This year's field earned championship bids based on the average of its three highest regular-season aggregate scores, with each score recorded at a different range. The average of the three scores was then added to the aggregate total from the team's designated qualifier to determine the final field.
Â
A total of 48 competitors will compete at the championships, with eight selected as individual qualifiers. An NCAA rule stipulates that a school that qualified is prohibited from sending individual qualifiers.
Â
Next up, West Virginia is on the road for the 2025-26 Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championships, at the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center in West Point, New York. The event will take place on Feb. 28 and March 1 with both sessions beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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