LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 15, 2025) – For the 20th time in program history, the West Virginia University rifle team won the NCAA Rifle National Championship after two days of competition inside Memorial Coliseum in Lexington on Saturday.
West Virginia entered the final day of competition in third place and trailed by 10 points to Kentucky entering the final air rifle relay. Senior Natalie Perrin and freshman Ashlyn Blake posted scores of 598 and 597 to help push the Mountaineers into a one-point win over second-place Kentucky.
Perrin hit the final shot of the match, a 10.1, to push WVU to a 4738-aggregate score. The mark bested Kentucky’s runner-up mark of 4737 while Alaska Fairbanks, who came into the day in first, finished with a score of 4726 to take third.
Both Perrin and Blake qualified for the air rifle final, marking Perrin's second straight day in a final after making the smallbore final a day prior. Blake scored 228.9 to claim third place while Perrin finished in fifth place with a 185.7.
Perrin finished in third place on the overall leaderboard at the season-ending event with an 1190 aggregate score. The mark was just one point off first place and tied for the second-best in the field. The match marked the final of her Mountaineer career, where she produced career-highs in aggregate score and smallbore.
Griffin Lake qualified for the smallbore finals in the championship yesterday to finish the championship with an 1188 total score. The mark was the fourth best in the field as his 94 centers across 120 shots was the second most.
In the first of two air rifle relays, Senior Gavin Barnick and sophomores Lake and Lauri Syrja opened the competition for the Mountaineers. Lake led the relay for West Virginia, shooting a 597. Syrja finished just behind with his 596, while Barnick rounded out the morning session with a 592.
At 45 NCAA National Championships, the Mountaineers have now finished inside the top two 30 times, including 20 titles and 10 runner-up finishes. The 2025 championship marks the first since the 2017 season, which marked the end of five straight titles for WVU.
Hayhurst Family Head Coach Jon Hammond has now won seven national championships in his 19 seasons at the helm of the Mountaineers program.
West Virginia completed the 2024-25 season with a perfect 13-0 mark in the regular season and a 5-0 overall in the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) competition. It marks the second straight season WVU has finished the regular season with a perfect record. The 2025 NCAA Rifle National Champions also claimed the program's 17th GARC Conference Championship and 16th GARC Regular Season title this season.
Final Team Standings
West Virginia – 4738
Kentucky – 4737
Alaska Fairbanks – 4726
Ole Miss – 4716
Georgia Southern – 4713
TCU - 4712
Air Force – 4703
Murray State – 4693
West Virginia entered the final day of competition in third place and trailed by 10 points to Kentucky entering the final air rifle relay. Senior Natalie Perrin and freshman Ashlyn Blake posted scores of 598 and 597 to help push the Mountaineers into a one-point win over second-place Kentucky.
Perrin hit the final shot of the match, a 10.1, to push WVU to a 4738-aggregate score. The mark bested Kentucky’s runner-up mark of 4737 while Alaska Fairbanks, who came into the day in first, finished with a score of 4726 to take third.
Both Perrin and Blake qualified for the air rifle final, marking Perrin's second straight day in a final after making the smallbore final a day prior. Blake scored 228.9 to claim third place while Perrin finished in fifth place with a 185.7.
Perrin finished in third place on the overall leaderboard at the season-ending event with an 1190 aggregate score. The mark was just one point off first place and tied for the second-best in the field. The match marked the final of her Mountaineer career, where she produced career-highs in aggregate score and smallbore.
Griffin Lake qualified for the smallbore finals in the championship yesterday to finish the championship with an 1188 total score. The mark was the fourth best in the field as his 94 centers across 120 shots was the second most.
In the first of two air rifle relays, Senior Gavin Barnick and sophomores Lake and Lauri Syrja opened the competition for the Mountaineers. Lake led the relay for West Virginia, shooting a 597. Syrja finished just behind with his 596, while Barnick rounded out the morning session with a 592.
At 45 NCAA National Championships, the Mountaineers have now finished inside the top two 30 times, including 20 titles and 10 runner-up finishes. The 2025 championship marks the first since the 2017 season, which marked the end of five straight titles for WVU.
Hayhurst Family Head Coach Jon Hammond has now won seven national championships in his 19 seasons at the helm of the Mountaineers program.
West Virginia completed the 2024-25 season with a perfect 13-0 mark in the regular season and a 5-0 overall in the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) competition. It marks the second straight season WVU has finished the regular season with a perfect record. The 2025 NCAA Rifle National Champions also claimed the program's 17th GARC Conference Championship and 16th GARC Regular Season title this season.
Final Team Standings
West Virginia – 4738
Kentucky – 4737
Alaska Fairbanks – 4726
Ole Miss – 4716
Georgia Southern – 4713
TCU - 4712
Air Force – 4703
Murray State – 4693
