The early collegiate rifle season has already drawn its battle lines. On October 18, the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University Mountaineers and No. 2 Georgia Southern University Eagles each delivered commanding victories, reinforcing their status atop the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) poll and setting the tone for what’s shaping up to be a tightly contested season.
Backed by their 20th NCAA rifle championship title last March, the Mountaineers entered the fall with sky-high expectations. West Virginia extended its unblemished record to 5-0, riding a 31-match win streak that dates back to the start of the 2023-24 season, the fifth-longest in program history. In Lexington, Virginia, WVU headlined the weekend with a resounding win over Virginia Military Institute and Mount Aloysius College, scoring an aggregate of 4724-334X. VMI placed second at 4580-211X, while Mount Aloysius, last season’s surprise MAC champion in its inaugural year as a collegiate rifle program, finished third at 4509-174X.
Individual performances once again showed WVU’s depth. Six Mountaineers landed in the top 10 individual aggregate rankings, led by Jennifer Kocher with 1183-89X and Camryn Camp with 1182-82X. WVU remains the standard-bearer in collegiate rifle, with a deep roster that seems capable of maintaining its dominance week after week.
Georgia Southern kept pace on the road in Spartanburg, South Carolina, defeating Wofford 4730-331X to 4567-193X. The Eagles claimed the top seven individual aggregate spots, with sophomore Emme Walrath leading all shooters with a 1187-91X combined score, including a 594 in air rifle and 593-41X in smallbore. The win moved Georgia Southern to 8-0 on the season, solidifying its hold on the No. 2 ranking and proving the Eagles are serious challengers to WVU’s top spot.
Tied at third in the CRCA poll are Alaska-Fairbanks and Kentucky, two collegiate rifle programs with rich histories. Alaska-Fairbanks posted a home win over Ohio State on October 18, finishing with 4740-335X against the Buckeyes’ 4705-290X. Lucie Kissenberger and Teagan Perkowski led the Nanooks, with Kissenberger topping smallbore at 594-40X and Perkowski adding 590-34X in smallbore and 596-50X in air rifle.
Kentucky, meanwhile, has found a spark in freshman Elisa Boozer, formerly the top-ranked high school rifle shooter in Oklahoma. The Wildcats dominated a three-way match against Memphis and Ohio State earlier this month, then edged Navy 4738-4730 in Annapolis at the Naval Academy on October 18. Boozer posted 1170-66X to land in the top 10 individual aggregate standings, building on her earlier 598 air rifle performance in Columbus. With fresh faces like Boozer and top shooters like Braden Peiser leading the way, Kentucky is once again a serious contender for the NCAA rifle crown.
For those who follow collegiate rifle closely, these early results matter. The aggregate team scores: 4724, 4730, 4740, are benchmarks. The teams that breach 4700-plus consistently are staking their claim.
As we enter the heart of the fall schedule, several themes are starting to take shape across collegiate rifle. Team depth is proving more important than star power. WVU’s six shooters landing in the top 10 against VMI highlights that dominance in this sport rarely comes from one or two standout performers—it’s about a full lineup dropping consistent, high-level scores, match after match.
The rise of emerging programs is another storyline worth watching. Mount Aloysius’s continued climb from unknown to legitimate contender signal that the field is widening. Despite the team’s loss at VMI, Mount Aloysius shooter Molly Miller broke into the individual aggregate top 10, with her 1144-56X score ranking her ninth. The parity gap is closing, and new names are beginning to enter the national conversation.
Consistency and endurance will also define the months ahead. WVU’s 31-match win streak is impressive, but the grind of the mid-season can expose even the smallest cracks in focus.
And finally, youth is making its presence felt. Young stars like Kentucky freshman Elisa Boozer and Alaska-Fairbanks sophomore Teagan Perkowski are already making measurable impacts in team outcomes. These underclassmen aren’t just the future of the sport, they’re shaping the outcome of the 2025-26 collegiate rifle season.
CRCA Top 20 Poll Rankings (as of October 21, 2025)
1. West Virginia
2. Georgia Southern
3. Alaska-Fairbanks (tie)
3. Kentucky (tie)
5. Ole Miss
6. Nebraska
7. TCU
8. Memphis
9. Navy
10. Ohio State
11. Murray State
12. UTEP
13. Jacksonville State
14. Army
15. Air Force
16. Akron
17. Morehead State
18. North Georgia
19. UT Martin
20. UAB
With every match this fall, the picture becomes sharper. WVU and Georgia Southern may be the frontrunners, but don’t count out another rifle program like Alaska-Fairbanks or Kentucky to shake up the rankings before the NCAA rifle championships arrive in March 2026.
For complete scorecards and detailed match results, visit ncaarifle.org.
