INDIANAPOLIS - The Alaska Nanooks rifle team has qualified for its 35th NCAA Rifle Championships. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Committee announced the teams and individual qualifiers for the 2022 National Collegiate Men's and Women's Rifle Championships. 

Hosted by the United States Air Force Academy, the championships will be held March 11-12 on campus at Clune Arena in USAFA, Colorado. The top eight teams in both the smallbore three-position and air rifle events were selected  based on the average of the three highest regular-season aggregate scores with no more than one  match at any given site. The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores  from the designated qualifiers to determine the top eight teams.

Head coach Will Anti is headed to his second NCAA Championships in as many years as the head coach of the Nanooks' rifle program, "It was great to get the confirmation today that we will be headed to the National Championship at the United States Air Force Academy. The selection show is alway an exciting day in the rifle community and it was fun to be a part of it. We are looking forward to the championship and are continuing with our preparations. We are really pleased with how things are coming along as we set up for our next peak. We are right on track from the training plan we laid out in August to kickoff the semester so the game plan remains unchanged. With a little over two weeks to go there is still plenty of work to do and the team energy and enthusiasm has been phenomenal. They are coming into the range with new ideas and with clear visions of areas they want to key in on. The work outside the range has been great and the team has done a great job of embracing some new ideas and techniques this semester and are seeing better results consistently." 

The Nanooks have been led by a young core this season. Their top-three aggregate averages come from freshmen. Rylan Kissell leads the way with the top-aggregate in the NCAA this season, shooting an average of 1188.231. Next is Sara Karasova, who is shooting an average aggregate of 1183.231. Finishing up the top-freshmen for the Nanooks is Gavin Barnick who is shooting an 1181.692. Kellen McAferty is the final Nanook to join the trio in the top-10 in the NCAA for aggregate average. The junior is shooting an average of 1181.545. 

Anti has high praise for his shooters' work this season and is looking forward to what is still to come, "The team has a lot to be proud of thus far this season but in the infamous words of Kobe, "jobs not finished." And we will keep pushing until it is finished. On a personal note I was thrilled to see the US Naval Academy qualify for the championship as a team as well. It will be the second time this season my dad and I will coach on the line at the same time and the first time we will coach our respective teams at the championship at the same time. Congrats to the midshipmen who have put in some tireless hours this spring to qualify!"

The Nanooks run at an 11th National Championship will begin on Friday, March 11 before completing the Championships on Saturday, March 12. For more information on the 2022 Rifle Championships, visit ncaa.com.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks rifle team, follow @NanooksRifle on Twitter or Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks Rifle team page on Facebook.