Surprise! WVU Rifle is back in the NCAA rifle championships. All the program does is win, and the team is down to the final eight in the country once again. Read more: Can WVU Rifle hit the bullseye with another NCAA title?
It’s championship season once again around spring collegiate athletics.
And — the most dominant program bearing “WVU” on the uniform in the Mountaineers’ athletic department is the rifle team. After all, WVU Rifle only boasts 20 NCAA National Championships, and currently reign as defending champs.
The question is — can they do it again?
Setting the scene
WVU enters the 2026 National Collegiate men’s and women’s rifle Championships as the no. 4 seed. The Mountaineers join the field of eight alongside (not in order):
- Alaska Fairbanks
- Georgia Southern
- Kentucky
- Navy
- Nebraska
- TCU
- Ole Miss
I’d say WVU is in good company.
The championships take place on March 13-14 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State’s campus plays host to the coveted event, with action set to go down in the Covelli Center.
That no. 4 seeding? It was earned on the road to the postseason. According to the NCAA;
“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.”
The bright lights await WVU and its competitors. It’s a good thing the Mountaineers know how to handle the pressure.
Experience
Seven of the 10 student athletes on WVU’s 2025-26 roster are returners from the national title squad. That is a simply invaluable asset in a situation such as this.
The three that weren’t on the team in 2024-25 are freshmen. That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me.
Better yet, this year’s team has already faced three of the programs standing in its way. TCU dealt WVU (18-1) its only loss of the season back on November 8, 2025.
WVU swept both Navy and Kentucky, beating both on two separate occasions.
If it comes down to it, I’d say the old gold and blue wants its revenge against the Horned Frogs.
Standing on the shoulders of giants
As mentioned, WVU Rifle is the most dominant program in the sport.
A casual 20 team national championships, three straight GARC titles, a myriad of individual triumphs… the list goes on and on. This year’s team is simply the latest in the cycle of greatness.
Related: WVU Rifle wins third consecutive GARC regular season title
That said, it’s not a knock on the current roster. They know what they’re doing, they earned it, and they make the university (and state) proud.
It’s hard to win a title. It’s even harder to go back-to-back. When you look at the record books, though, its been done before.
WVU won SIX national titles in a row (1988-1993), five in a row (2013-2017), and four in a row (1995-1998). “Dynasty” might as well be written in the stars with this team.
It all comes down to what this year’s team can accomplish, and I believe the sky’s the limit.
Wrap
WVU takes over Columbus on March 13-14, in search of its 21st team national championship.
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