WVU Looks to Claim Program Second Straight NCAA Rifle National Championship
March 12, 2026 12:00 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 4-seeded West Virginia University rifle team looks to capture its nation-best 21st national championship this weekend, as the Mountaineers get set to conclude their season at the 2026 NCAA Rifle Championships from March 13-14, in Columbus, Ohio.
This year's championships are being hosted by Ohio State. Each day of action is set to begin at 8:45 a.m. ET with the call to line, from inside the Covelli Center. A live stream for both relays will be available on NCAA.com. Additionally, live stats and targets can be found on WVUsports.com.
Friday opens with two smallbore relays, followed by the individual finals at 2 p.m. ET. Saturday wraps up the competition with two air rifle relays, followed by individual finals at 1:30 p.m.
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.
West Virginia is the defending NCAA National Champions, having won its first title since 2017 last season. Prior to that, WVU captured five consecutive national titles from 2013-17. There have been 45 NCAA National Championships with WVU winning or finishing runner-up 30 times at the season ending event.
Hammond has helped the Mountaineers hoist seven national championships during his first 19 seasons with the team. Additionally, West Virginia boasts 30 individual NCAA champions in program history, with the most recent being Gavin Barnick (air rifle) and Mary Tucker (smallbore) in 2024.
The Mountaineers are looking to close out the season with the program's 21st NCAA Rifle National Championship. The Mountaineers swept both the Great America Rifle Conference Tournament and Regular Season titles for the third straight season.
West Virginia's roster at the event will feature Griffin Lake, Jennifer Kocher, Oceanne Muller, Camryn Camp and Lauri Syrja. The five will make up the Mountaineers team score at the event. Lake, Kocher and Syrja have combined to compete in five NCAA Championships.
This year's championships are being hosted by Ohio State. Each day of action is set to begin at 8:45 a.m. ET with the call to line, from inside the Covelli Center. A live stream for both relays will be available on NCAA.com. Additionally, live stats and targets can be found on WVUsports.com.
Friday opens with two smallbore relays, followed by the individual finals at 2 p.m. ET. Saturday wraps up the competition with two air rifle relays, followed by individual finals at 1:30 p.m.
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.
West Virginia is the defending NCAA National Champions, having won its first title since 2017 last season. Prior to that, WVU captured five consecutive national titles from 2013-17. There have been 45 NCAA National Championships with WVU winning or finishing runner-up 30 times at the season ending event.
Hammond has helped the Mountaineers hoist seven national championships during his first 19 seasons with the team. Additionally, West Virginia boasts 30 individual NCAA champions in program history, with the most recent being Gavin Barnick (air rifle) and Mary Tucker (smallbore) in 2024.
The Mountaineers are looking to close out the season with the program's 21st NCAA Rifle National Championship. The Mountaineers swept both the Great America Rifle Conference Tournament and Regular Season titles for the third straight season.
West Virginia's roster at the event will feature Griffin Lake, Jennifer Kocher, Oceanne Muller, Camryn Camp and Lauri Syrja. The five will make up the Mountaineers team score at the event. Lake, Kocher and Syrja have combined to compete in five NCAA Championships.
Players Mentioned
/ Rifle
/ Rifle
/ Rifle
/ Rifle
/ Rifle
/ Rifle
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, September 30
Life as a Mountaineer - Jared Eddy
Wednesday, March 24
Jon Hammond | Thursday
Thursday, January 14
