Ole Miss Makes History at NCAA Rifle Championship, Leads After Day One in Columbus

No. 5 Ole Miss didn’t just show up to the 2026 NCAA Rifle Championship on Friday—the Rebels made a statement.

Ole Miss rocketed to the top of the team smallbore leaderboard with a 2356 at Ohio State’s Covelli Center in Columbus, marking the first time in program history that the Rebels have won a team championship in either discipline at the NCAA tournament. Gracie Dinh (593-37X) and Audrey Gogniat (592-41X) anchored the effort, and when the last scores posted, Ole Miss owned the Day One lead heading into Saturday’s air rifle competition.

TCU and Nebraska gave chase, both finishing at 2354—just two points back. TCU claimed second on X-count in what could prove to be a meaningful tiebreaker when the final aggregate standings are tallied.

On the individual side, Kentucky’s Braden Peiser put together the kind of performance that leaves no room for debate. Peiser walked away from the first smallbore relay with the highest score in the field after posting a 596-37X. In the smallbore final he earned the individual title, improving on his fourth-place performance last year. It was a wire-to-wire effort from the Wildcat, who led his team in the discipline and added another chapter to Kentucky’s deep history in NCAA rifle.

The depth of talent on display Friday was evident across the board. Eleven athletes fired scores above 590 in smallbore at this year's championship—a testament to the level of competition at the college game’s biggest stage.

The 2026 NCAA Rifle Championship continues today with the air rifle competition. Shooting Sports USA will continue to bring news from the tournament. For the latest shooting sports news, subscribe to the free Insider newsletter. Be sure to check out the livestream at the NCAA website.