Friday, March 10
Akron, Ohio
7:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
vs
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Photo by Trevor Cokley
No. 8 Air Force set for NCAA Championships
3/7/2023 8:53:00 AM | Rifle
This Week: Air Force, ranked eighth in the nation, will compete in the NCAA Rifle Championships, March 10-11, at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio. The meet will start at 9 am ET each day. Under head coach Launi Meili, the Falcons have been selected to compete for the ninth straight season and the 21st time overall. Live scoring will be available at MegaLink.
The Format: Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 10, and individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 11. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution.
The Field: Air Force is joined in the NCAA Championship field this season by Alaska, Kentucky, Murray State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, TCU, West Virginia. A total of 48 competitors will compete in the championships, with 40 competitors coming from the top eight teams selected. The remaining eight competitors were selected based on the scores submitted from the designated qualifier.
Last season: Kentucky won its second straight NCAA Rifle Championship, held at the Air Force Academy. Air Force placed fifth last season with a team score of 4712. Air Force's highest finish ever came in 1995 and 1996 with a pair of second-place finishes. In 2019, Air Force won the air rifle national title and placed third overall. Scott Rockett won the NCAA air rifle championship as a freshman, the first rifle national title in school history.
Top Falcons: The Falcons are led by a pair of all-conference shooters and the air rifle national champion last season. At the Patriot Rifle Conference Championships, sophomore Lauren Hurley placed third and junior Peninah D'Souza placed sixth in air rifle earlier this season. Sophomore Scott Rockett is the defending national champion in air rifle, having won the title last season at the Academy. Hurley's perfect score of 600 in air rifle on Nov. 20 is one of seven perfect scores in the nation this season. D'Souza's 599 in air rifle is tied as the eighth best in the nation. D'Souza and Rockett have both shot an 1186 this season, the best aggregate scores of the season.
The Format: Individual and team competitions in smallbore three-position (60 shots) will be held Friday, March 10, and individual and team competitions in air rifle (60 shots) will be held Saturday, March 11. The overall team champion will be determined by combining the smallbore and air rifle team total scores into one aggregate score for each institution.
The Field: Air Force is joined in the NCAA Championship field this season by Alaska, Kentucky, Murray State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, TCU, West Virginia. A total of 48 competitors will compete in the championships, with 40 competitors coming from the top eight teams selected. The remaining eight competitors were selected based on the scores submitted from the designated qualifier.
Last season: Kentucky won its second straight NCAA Rifle Championship, held at the Air Force Academy. Air Force placed fifth last season with a team score of 4712. Air Force's highest finish ever came in 1995 and 1996 with a pair of second-place finishes. In 2019, Air Force won the air rifle national title and placed third overall. Scott Rockett won the NCAA air rifle championship as a freshman, the first rifle national title in school history.
Top Falcons: The Falcons are led by a pair of all-conference shooters and the air rifle national champion last season. At the Patriot Rifle Conference Championships, sophomore Lauren Hurley placed third and junior Peninah D'Souza placed sixth in air rifle earlier this season. Sophomore Scott Rockett is the defending national champion in air rifle, having won the title last season at the Academy. Hurley's perfect score of 600 in air rifle on Nov. 20 is one of seven perfect scores in the nation this season. D'Souza's 599 in air rifle is tied as the eighth best in the nation. D'Souza and Rockett have both shot an 1186 this season, the best aggregate scores of the season.
Players Mentioned
Launi Meili Interview March 5, 2025
Wednesday, March 05
Launi Meili Interview Nov 5, 2024
Tuesday, November 05
Launi Meili Interview - February 20th, 2024
Tuesday, February 20
Dave Johnson Interview Feb 6, 2024
Tuesday, February 06
