The Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) is back with guns blazing for the 2025-2026 season, kicking off October 4 in Northfield, Vermont, where MIT and Norwich University will face off at Barrofio’s Rifle Range. These two rivals have turned their annual home-and-home series into a highlight of the MAC calendar, sharpening their aim with every match. Last season’s Beanpot Tournament at MIT saw the host school sail past Norwich with a 4389 to 4361 win, but expect a fierce battle again this year.
The MAC roster is a mix of eight college rifle programs—five NCAA Division III teams and three collegiate clubs—making for intense competition across multiple venues.
Mount Aloysius College, the defending MAC champion, is ready to prove last season’s big inaugural win was no fluke. They’re launching their title defense on October 18 with a postal match against the Coast Guard Academy, fired during their NCAA competition at Virginia Military Institute. Coming off a strong start with a 4545 score against Ohio State University on September 20 in a non-conference match, Mount Aloysius boasts the same roster that clinched the 2024-2025 conference crown, setting the stage for a thrilling season.
October 18 also features a showdown in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Coast Guard will battle the University of Rhode Island and MIT. The following weekend, Schreiner University heads west to Colorado Springs for their NCAA doubleheader, matched with conference postal contests against Coast Guard and MIT. John Jay College opens their season the same weekend with a tri-match including Virginia Military Institute and Wofford College, also sending scores to Coast Guard in the postal.
SUNY Maritime’s season begins with a traditional double weekend against in-state rival SUNY Plattsburgh from the Eastern Collegiate Rifle Conference. On December 6, John Jay will host SUNY Maritime’s Senior Day air rifle match, and both New York schools will head to Cos Cob, Connecticut, for a three-way match with Rhode Island to close out the fall segment of the season.
After the winter break, excitement ramps up again in 2026 with Rhode Island traveling to Northfield on January 17 for a shoulder-to-shoulder match against Norwich. The next day, John Jay, SUNY Maritime and Coast Guard will convene at West Point for a neutral-site face-off with the Army team.
February brings back the prestigious MIT Beanpot Tournament on the 7th and 8th. Though the tournament largely features MAC teams, the University of Akron will make the trip from Ohio looking to claim the trophy. Norwich, Coast Guard and Rhode Island also return for this key mid-season event.
The season’s climax is the MAC Championship from February 28 to March 1 at MIT’s Rifle Range in Cambridge, where the top six teams in conference play will compete alongside select at-large athletes. This event promises to showcase the finest talent in collegiate smallbore and air rifle as the best in the conference vie for supremacy.
Stay up to date with the full 2025-2026 MAC schedule at midatlanticrifle.org—the hub for all things Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference. (The website was refreshed over the summer.) The new season promises to deliver fierce rivalries and unforgettable marksmanship moments as Mount Aloysius College aims to hold onto the conference title.
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