TCU's Elizabeth Marsh Wins NCAA Smallbore Championship

by
posted on March 9, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
emarsh2.jpg
Elizabeth Marsh capped off a great day for Texas Christian University (TCU) at the 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships in Morgantown, WV, on the campus of West Virginia University (WVU) on Friday, March 8. The sophomore dominated the competition the first day, helping TCU secure the smallbore team championship. Subsequently, Marsh kept her cool during the finallanding the individual NCAA smallbore title after a thrilling finish.

Her best position during the smallbore individual championship was prone, shooting a perfect 200 score. Marsh went into the final with a field-leading individual aggregate score of 588-35X.

Elizabeth Marsh, TCU rifle
Texas Christian University's Elizabeth Marsh, 2019 NCAA smallbore rifle champion.

For Marsh, it came down to the last two shots of the finals. The University of Akron's Andre Gross held a slim half-point lead, but Marsh fired 10.2 and 10.6 back-to-back to win the championship, triumphing over Gross 456.9-454.8.

She joins Sarah Scherer as the only TCU shooters to win a NCAA individual rifle title.

The smallbore runner-up is the aforementioned Andre Gross of the Akron Zips, who entered the final with a score of 586-33X. The freshman and Marsh were shooting neck and neck, but Gross came up just short in the final, leaving with a score of 454.8.

The only other time Akron has sent a shooter to the NCAA Rifle Championships was in 2015 when Matt Chezem shot air rifle.

In third place was host school WVU's David Koenders. Koenders, a redshirt freshman, entered the top spot during the final multiple times but could not keep up with Marsh and Gross. He finished the aggregate with a score of 586-30X, scoring 444.8 in the final.

Last year's smallbore rifle winner, WVU shooter Morgan Phillips finished seventh with a final score of 402.3.

In NCAA smallbore 3-position rifle, shooters fire in prone, standing and kneeling positions at targets 50 feet downrange. The bullseye is tiny, about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Student-athletes shoot free rifles with metallic sights (no magnification) that can weigh no more than 17.6 pounds. The course-of-fire is 20 shots for each of the three positions for a possible perfect score of 600. After a 15-minute prep period, shooters have 120 minutes to complete each relay.

The 2019 NCAA Rifle Championships concludes Saturday, March 9 with the air rifle competition. The NCAA is livestreaming the event, you can view it (as well as the complete results) at this link: www.ncaa.com/news/rifle/2019-03-06/2019-ncaa-rifle-championship-schedule-live-stream-results-and-highlights.

Continue checking SSUSA often for more 2019 NCAA Rifle Championship news. Additionally, a full match report will be published in a future issue of the digital magazine.

Latest

1A ARA Competition
1A ARA Competition

American Rimfire Association Opens Benchrest Competition by Lowering the Cost to Participate

The American Rimfire Association expands rimfire benchrest competition through affordable factory-class rules, youth-friendly policies and inclusive match formats that welcome all shooters.

A Decade on the Firing Line: The National Matches 1920–1929

From Camp Perry’s wind flags to Sea Girt’s surf, the 1920s remade the National Matches into America’s proving ground for pistol, smallbore and high power competition.

Registration Open for 2026 Winchester & White Flyer Top Shot Youth Championship at NILO

Winchester and White Flyer bring the Top Shot Youth Championship back to NILO for a third year with big prizes and family-friendly competition.

Team Remington’s Powell and Hitch Dominate 2026 Caribbean Classic

Team Remington’s Powell and Hitch posted solid scores across multiple events at the 2026 Caribbean Classic in Florida.

Collegiate Rifle: Career Highs Power Akron to Bean Pot Title

Akron rifle captured the Bean Pot Invitational and climbed to No. 14 nationally, fueled by career-best performances from Kaleb Santiso and Kathleen Moran.

New: Leupold VX-4HD Riflescopes

Leupold’s VX-4HD line includes three sizes with 4:1 zoom, custom CDS-ZL2 dials and prices from $799.99 to $1,199.99.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.