The University of Kentucky rifle team finished in fourth place overall at the 2026 NCAA Rifle National Championships, according to a March 14 announcement. The event took place over two days at Ohio State University’s Covelli Center.
The Wildcats posted a team score of 2383 in air rifle, securing third place in that discipline. Combined with their smallbore score of 2353, Kentucky achieved a total team score of 4736 for the championship. West Virginia University won the national title, followed by Texas Christian University and Ole Miss.
Sophomore Liz Probst placed fifth overall individually, while junior Braden Peiser finished sixth. In air rifle competition, Probst led Kentucky with a score of 598 and 52 centers. Senior Sofia Ceccarello contributed a score of 597 with 53 centers. Peiser, who had previously won the smallbore individual national championship on Friday, scored a 594 with 49 centers. Sophomore Sam Adkins and senior Martin Voss completed the team’s scoring efforts.
Head coach Harry Mullins said, “Proud of the team and all that they accomplished this season. Obviously, not the result that we wanted here overall, but that happens. It was great to watch Sofia and Martin in their final collegiate matches and we thank them for all they have meant to our program.”
Kentucky’s rifle program is among the most decorated in NCAA history, having secured four national titles (2011, 2018, 2021, and 2022), seven runner-up finishes, and twenty-five top-five placements since its inception. This year’s fourth-place finish concludes head coach Mullins’ thirty-eighth season leading the Wildcats.
Earlier this season, Kentucky qualified for the NCAA Championships as the top seed after tying and setting an NCAA record for aggregate team score—becoming the first program in history to surpass a total of 4760 points.
