MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Nanooks head to the NCAA Rifle Championships, hosted by the West Virginia Mountaineers. Alaska will be looking to defend its National Championship from last season.
Saturday, Mar. 8
Smallbore | 5:00 a.m. AKST
WVU Coliseum | Morgantown, W.Va.
Saturday, Mar. 9
Air Rifle | 5:00 a.m. AKST
WVU Coliseum | Morgantown, W.Va.
Live Targets | Watch (Day One) | Watch (Day Two)
Last Time Out
The Nanooks went 9-3, 4-3 PRC this season. They have not shot since Feb. 17 when they faced off against UTEP in the NCAA qualifiers, winning 4728-4516.
Alaska took the first eight places, led by Sára Karasová with an aggregate score of 1186. Rachael Charles took second with an aggregate score of 1183. Ellie Spencer took the next spot for Alaska with an aggregate of 1180. That same day, the Nanooks recognized a duo of seniors; Marina Gonzalez Mazo and Akihito Shimizu. Gonzalez Mazo has been with the Nanooks since 2020-21 and Shimizu had spent the previous years with WVU before transferring to the Nanooks for a graduate-transfer year.
Last Year
The Nanooks look to repeat after winning the 2023 NCAA Championship at Akron. Alaska posted a winning score of 4729 to win their 11th national title and snapped a 15-year streak without one. Navy is the only new team in this season as seven of the eight teams from a year ago return to the championships.
#NookNotes
- Sára Karasová and Charles lead the Nanooks in aggregate averages on the season. Charles leads Alaska with an 1185.2 average, while Karasová follows with an 1181.6 average, the only two over 1180.
- Akihito Shimizu follows with an 1177.88, Ellie Spencer has posted an average of 1175.1 and Marina Gonzalez Mazo has an 1172.9.
- As a team, the Nanooks have the third-best aggregate average in the nation. They are shooting an average of 4723.3, trailing only TCU and West Virginia.
- Rachael Charles leads the Nanooks in both the Smallbore and Air Rifle disciplines.
- Alaska opened the season, winning two straight matches at home against Ohio State University. Karasová grabbed the first aggregate win for the Nanooks of the season.
- The season's first road trip saw the Nanooks fall to Texas Christian University before rebounding versus the University of Akron and the University of Kentucky in a three-way match in Fairbanks. Charles took the victory.
- Alaska continued its winning ways into a matchup versus Air Force, seeing Charles secure her second-straight individual win.
- The winning continued into the new year, sweeping the Navy in Annapolis before splitting a match versus Ohio State and Air Force, falling to Air Force and beating Ohio State.
- At the Patriot Rifle Conference Championships, the Nanooks took third place, placing behind TCU and Air Force. Charles finished with the highest aggregate score of the PRCs, shooting 1189.
The Rest of the Field
Alongside the Alaska Nanooks, this is the complete field of eight for the NCAA Rifle Championships: West Virginia, TCU, Kentucky, Air Force, Navy, Nebraska and Ole Miss.
Champions at PRC Championships
Alongside Rachael Charles' aggregate championship, she went on to take the individual PRC smallbore title as well, picking up the individual title on day one at conference championships. Freshman Ellie Spencer took the win on day two, grabbing the individual PRC air rifle championship.
Where to Watch
The NCAA Rifle Championships will be broadcast live from the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers have hosted one other NCAA Championship back in 2019.
Weekend Schedule
Friday will feature the smallbore discipline while Saturday will wrap-up the NCAA Championships with the air rifle discipline. On Friday, in smallbore relay one, the Nanooks will have Sára Karasová, Rachael Charles and Elli Spencer shooting. In relay two, beginning at 7:45 a.m., the Nanooks will have Marina Gonzalez Mazo and Akihito Shimizu.
Day two will feature the same groupings for air. Karasová, Charles and Spencer will start the day at 5:00 a.m. and Gonzalez Mazo and Shimizu will begin sighters at 7:15 a.m. AKST.
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