NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Norwich University Director of Athletics Ed Hockenbury announced on Thursday that it will be adding varsity rifle starting this winter.
The return of NCAA rifle will bring Norwich's varsity sport total to 22 sports, and is the second addition in the last three months. Prior to the addition of men's golf in March, Norwich had offered 20 varsity sports since 2008.
Norwich has intermittently offered varsity rifle dating back to as early as 1915. The last rifle team to compete under the varsity banner was in 2004-05.
"Rifle has a rich history at Norwich University and we're pleased to bring it back this winter," Hockenbury said. "Rifle is an excellent fit for our university's culture, and we are proud to add it to the wide variety of athletic opportunities available to our students. In bringing back the program, I appreciate the support from Mike Hourigan, along with the local shooting community. We are especially grateful to the Baroffio family; Jack, Penny and Bruce, for allowing us to practice and compete at the Northfield Junior Shooting Facility."
Norwich has enjoyed considerable success on the rifle range, placing fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2000 and 1993. Emily Caruso, NU '00, is a two-time Olympian and won the NCAA individual air rifle national championship in 1998. She now serves as an assistant coach for the Ohio State rifle team.
Norwich also hosted the 1999 NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle National Championship in Northfield.
Norwich will be just the fourth NCAA Division III school to sponsor varsity rifle, and the 30th overall between all divisions. Coast Guard, MIT and John Jay College of Criminal Justice are the only Division III schools to sponsor the sport.
NU will be the fourth senior military college to field a varsity rifle team, joining The Citadel, VMI and University of North Georgia. The Cadets will also join four of the five federal service academies in sponsoring rifle, with Army, Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard all fielding teams.
The Cadets previously were a member of the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MARC), and will seek membership again. Coast Guard, MIT and John Jay are all varsity members of the conference. Canisius, Hofstra, Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Schreiner University, SUNY Maritime, SUNY Plattsburgh, Wentworth and Yale all field club programs as members of the MARC.
Norwich expects to name a head coach in the near future for the program. The sport is coed, with male and females competing against each other in the same events. Norwich's team will train and compete at Baroffio's Rifle Range in Northfield.
The competition season generally runs from October to March, with the 2023 NCAA National Championship scheduled for March 10 and 11 in Akron, Ohio. The full schedule is expected to be released later this summer.
The NCAA started sponsoring a rifle championship in 1980. Kentucky has won the last two national championships. West Virginia has won the most titles with 19.
