LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Nanooks rifle team sits in first place after one day at the 2025 NCAA Rifle Championships. Alaska claimed first in the smallbore discipline to open up the championships, shooting a 2355.
Day One Standings
- Alaska - 2355, 147x
- Kentucky - 2354, 135x
- West Virginia - 2350, 145x
- TCU - 2335, 126x
- Ole Miss - 2333, 124x
- Georgia Southern - 2333, 113x
- Murray State - 2322, 111x
- Air Force - 2321, 117x
Team Smallbore Scoresheet (PDF)
Team Aggregate Scoresheet (PDF)
Individual Smallbore Scoresheet (PDF)
How it Happened
Alaska's five shooters battled on day one of the NCAA Championships. As a team, they currently sit in first place with a 2355, holding a one-point lead over host-team Kentucky (2354), and a five-point lead on third place West Virginia.
Rachael Charles jumped ahead early, posting a day-high score of 595, pacing the individual scoresheet. Along with being the best score of the day, her 595, 47x qualified her for the individual smallbore finals. Joining her was teammate
Cecelia Ossi, who posted the second-best score of the day with a 593, 39x. Sára Karasová shot the third-best score for the Nanooks, scoring a 585, 28x and taking 16th in the smallbore individual standings.
Lucie Kissenberger was the final Nanooks shooter to count towards the team score on day one as the freshman shot a 582, 33x. She placed 20th. Fellow freshman,
Amanda Pettersen was the final Nanook in the smallbore individual standings, taking 26th with a 581, 27x.
The finals featured Charles and Ossi. They were the top two scores after the team competition round and were the final two standing in the individual finals. It was Ossi who took the crown in the finals, besting Charles with a finals score of 464.7 to Charles' 463.6. Ossi became the first individual smallbore national champion for the Alaska Nanooks since 2014 when Tim Sherry won the title. She is also the first individual national champion for Alaska since Rylan Kissell won the individual air rifle title in 2023.
Individual Finals Standings
- Cecelia Ossi, Alaska - 464.7
- Rachael Charles, Alaska - 463.6
- Katie Zaun, TCU - 453.6
- Braden Peiser, Kentucky - 442.0
- Sofia Ceccarello, Kentucky - 431.5
- Griffin Lake, West Virginia - 420.3
- Elizabeth Probst, Kentucky - 408.8
- Natalie Perrin, West Virginia - 407.2
What's to Come
Tomorrow will conclude the 2025 NCAA Rifle Championships with the air rifle competition. The first relay will begin at 5:15 a.m. AKST with the second relay beginning at 7:30 a.m. AKST. Charles, Karasová and Ossi will shoot in the first relay and Kissenberger and Pettersen will follow in relay two.
Coaches Thoughts
"Overall we had an up and down day - but there was plenty to smile about. Rachael [Charles] and Cecelia [Ossi] shot great today. They had really impressive matches and an equally impressive final to go with it. Tomorrow we certainly have work to do, and need to shoot a little authentic to our style. We are going to embrace the excitement of the day and really enjoy the match. It's a fun spot to be in."
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