Sagen Maddalena established herself as one of the most accomplished rifle athletes in Alaska Nanooks history during her collegiate career, combining exceptional performance on the range with leadership and academic success. Maddalena became a 12-time All-American and qualified for the NCAA Rifle Championships four times, helping establish herself among the elite collegiate rifle athletes in the country.
During her time at Alaska, Maddalena recorded career-best scores of 599 in air rifle and 591 in smallbore. Her success earned her numerous individual honors, including two selections as Alaska Rifle Scholar-Athlete of the Year and recognition as Alaska's Most Outstanding Female Athlete. Her consistency and ability to perform at the highest level made her a cornerstone of the Nanooks rifle program.
Maddalena’s collegiate success served as the foundation for an extraordinary international career. A member of the USA Shooting National Team, she has represented the United States at the highest levels of international competition and became a two-time Olympian. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Maddalena finished fifth in the 50-meter 3-Position event, establishing herself as one of the world’s top competitors. She returned to the Olympic stage at the 2024 Paris Games, where she captured a silver medal in the 50-meter 3-Position event.
Her Olympic success has been accompanied by a lengthy list of international accomplishments. Maddalena captured gold in the 50-meter Rifle 3 Positions event at the 2025 ISSF Lima World Cup and earned gold and bronze medals at the 2023 ISSF World Championships. At the 2023 Pan American Games, she won gold in air rifle, silver in smallbore and bronze in mixed team competition. She has also earned multiple medals at the CAT Games and ISSF World Championships, including team and mixed-team gold medals.
Maddalena has consistently excelled at the national level as well, earning USA Shooting National Championship titles in both air rifle and smallbore. She also captured national championship titles at the NRA Blackhawk Championship and ASSA National Championship, setting national records in prone and smallbore competition.
Her accomplishments have placed Maddalena among the world’s best rifle athletes. She has earned world and Olympic records throughout her career, including an equalled qualification world record of 596 in the 50-meter Rifle 3 Positions event in 2023 and a qualification Olympic record of 593 at the 2024 Paris Games.
From her 12 All-American honors and four NCAA Championship appearances as a Nanook to becoming a two-time Olympian and Olympic silver medalist, Sagen Maddalena’s career reflects sustained excellence at every level of the sport.
