West Virginia made it four in a row. The Mountaineers captured their 18th Great America Rifle Conference Championship title this weekend at Army West Point’s Tronsrue Marksmanship Center, posting a 4740-364X aggregate to hold off No. 1-ranked Kentucky (4730-338X) by 10 points. Navy (4729-338X) made it a three-team race, finishing just one point behind the Wildcats for third.
The two-day competition opened Saturday with smallbore and wrapped Sunday with air rifle, mirroring the format of the NCAA Rifle Championship. All six nationally ranked GARC members competed: No. 1 Kentucky, No. 4 West Virginia, No. 7 Navy, No. 10 Memphis, No. 12 Akron and host No. 16 Army.
WVU Completes the Sweep
West Virginia’s victory wasn’t just a tournament win—it was the completion of a clean sweep. The Mountaineers paired the championship with their perfect 5-0 regular season record to claim both GARC titles in the same year for the 13th time in program history and the third consecutive season.
WVU led the field in smallbore with a 2358 and added a 2382 in air rifle. The Mountaineers placed four athletes in the top 10 individual aggregate standings, led by Griffin Lake, who finished third overall with an 1188-97X on scores of 591 in smallbore and 597 in air rifle. Camryn Camp (1185-89X), Lauri Syrja (1183-92X) and Jacob Wisman (1183-86X) rounded out a deep and balanced squad that proved once again why this team shows no signs of slowing down.
Peiser Leads Kentucky from the Top
Kentucky’s Braden Peiser delivered another elite individual performance, winning the aggregate title with an 1192-95X, built on a 597 in smallbore and 595 in air rifle. Peiser, who carries the nation’s highest average aggregate this season and tied the NCAA record score of 1198 earlier this month, was the clear class of the field.
The Wildcats actually topped WVU in air rifle with a 2385 team score, the highest of any team in either discipline, but a 2345 in smallbore left them 13 points behind the Mountaineers on that side of the scorecard. Elizabeth Probst (1183-88X) and Jacob St Hilaire (1183-81X) provided strong support, both cracking the top 15 individually.
Navy’s Tight Finish
The most compelling team battle may have been the one for second place. Navy’s 4729 aggregate fell just a single point short of Kentucky, making it the tightest margin in the team standings. Freshman Tyler Wee was spectacular, posting the tournament’s highest air rifle score, a 598-56X, and finishing second overall in the individual aggregate with an 1188-98X. Parker Haydin (1187-82X) and Isabella Baldwin (1185-81X) also landed in the top 10, giving Navy three of the top seven individuals in the field.
Host Army turned in a strong showing at the Tronsrue Marksmanship Center, finishing fourth with a 4714-293X to edge Akron (4713-307X) by a single point. Senior Chris Jennings led the Black Knights with an 1182-73X aggregate, highlighted by a 595 in air rifle. Ashton Arlington matched Jennings’ aggregate score at 1182-72X in a two-person effort that anchored the Army lineup.
Akron senior Natalia Siek was one of the tournament’s standout performers, landing sixth overall in the individual aggregate with an 1185-87X—the highest finish among athletes outside the top three teams. Siek fired a 589 in smallbore and a 596 in air rifle to cap an outstanding senior season. Freshman Matthew Kimball contributed an 1181-82X to the Zips’ effort.
Memphis finished sixth with a 4708-299X but showed strength in air rifle, posting a 2375 team score that trailed only Kentucky and WVU. Emmet Bodrogi led the Tigers individually with an 1182-87X aggregate, while Katrina Demerle (1179-72X) continued a strong season ahead of her individual smallbore appearance at the NCAA Championship.
2026 GARC CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD
| Rank | Team | Smallbore | Air Rifle | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 2358 | 2382 | 4740 - 364X |
| 2 | Kentucky | 2345 | 2385 | 4730 - 338X |
| 3 | Navy | 2353 | 2376 | 4729 - 338X |
| 4 | Army | 2345 | 2369 | 4714 - 293X |
| 5 | Akron | 2346 | 2367 | 4713 - 307X |
| 6 | Memphis | 2333 | 2375 | 4708 - 299X |
TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL AGGREGATE
| Rank | Athlete | Team | Smallbore | Air Rifle | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braden Peiser | Kentucky | 597 | 595 | 1192 - 95X |
| 2 | Tyler Wee | Navy | 590 | 598 | 1188 - 98X |
| 3 | Griffin Lake | West Virginia | 591 | 597 | 1188 - 97X |
| 4 | Parker Haydin | Navy | 590 | 597 | 1187 - 82X |
| 5 | Camryn Camp | West Virginia | 588 | 597 | 1185 - 89X |
| 6 | Natalia Siek | Akron | 589 | 596 | 1185 - 87X |
| 7 | Isabella Baldwin | Navy | 591 | 594 | 1185 - 81X |
| 8 | Lauri Syrja | West Virginia | 589 | 594 | 1183 - 92X |
| 9 | Elizabeth Probst | Kentucky | 586 | 597 | 1183 - 88X |
| 10 | Jacob Wisman | West Virginia | 590 | 593 | 1183 - 86X |
The GARC Championship doubles as the final tuneup before the NCAA Rifle Championship on March 13-14 at Ohio State. Three GARC programs—West Virginia, Kentucky and Navy—will compete as teams at the national championship, joined by individual smallbore qualifiers Addison Antwiler of Army and Katrina Demerle of Memphis. After the performances turned in this weekend at West Point, all five will arrive in Columbus battle-tested.
For complete results, visit ncaarifle.org.
Most Popular
