LIVE SCORING

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University rifle team (2-4 overall) will travel to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the two-day Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) Championship, hosted from Saturday, Mar. 1, through Sunday, Mar. 2, at the DuPont Rifle Range in Cambridge, Mass.

The Cadets will be making their second appearance in the MAC Championship since being reinstated as a varsity program in 2022, after finishing fourth in last year's title match behind a 4312 aggregate score.  Norwich shot 2121 in the smallbore competition, coming in second place, while tallying a then-program-high 2191 score in air rifle action.  MIT claimed their first-ever MAC title last season, scoring a season-best 4432 and narrowly edging the University of Rhode Island by 31 points.

Entering this weekend's MAC Championship, Norwich's aggregate ranks fourth in two-gun competition out of nine scoring teams, maintaining a 4362.83 mark and coming off a season-high 4406 score at this past Saturday's NCAA Qualifiers, hosted by Army.  Mount Aloysius has been the stalwart of the conference, eclipsing the 4500-mark in all seven of their matches this season and ranking first overall on a 4554.57 average.  The University of Rhode Island and MIT sit second and third with 4443.43 and 4401.13 aggregates, respectively.

SMALLBORE:

• The Cadets own a 2180.33 average in smallbore competition, placing them third among nine MAC teams.  Norwich shot a season-best 2206 at home against the University of Rhode Island on Jan. 18, 2025, spearheaded by Sophia Ashford's (Northfield, Vt.) 566 effort, and now come off their second-best smallbore performance at the NCAA Qualifiers behind a 2197 score.  Mount Aloysius and the University of Rhode Island lead the conference in smallbore, with Mount Aloysius maintaining a 2242.57 average while the Rams carry a 2202.14 mark.  The Mounties, despite entering the MAC Championships with an 0-7 overall record, own the best smallbore score of any conference team this season, scoring a 2256 mark at Morehead State University on Nov. 10, 2024.
• Three Norwich shooters rank within the top 20 individual performers in the conference, with Sophia Ashford enjoying an impressive freshman season behind a 560.3 average, placing her fifth among all shooters.  She logged a career-best 572 score in her second outing of the season at MIT on Oct. 26, 2024.  Aiden Burris (Marietta, Ga.), the reigning MAC Smallbore Athlete of the Week, is eighth on a 550.3 aggregate, having racked up a season-best 563 on the University of Rhode Island.  Ben Kelley (Niantic, Conn.) rounds out the shooters within the top 20, also recording a season-best 565 score against the University of Rhode Island en route to maintaining a 545.5 aggregate, placing him 12th overall.

AIR RIFLE:

• Behind a 2182.50 season average, the Cadets sit fifth overall in air rifle competition, registering their highest mark of the season on Nov. 16, 2024, against John Jay College behind a 2210 score.  Most recently, Norwich finished just one point shy of tying that mark, shooting a 2209 mark at the NCAA Qualifiers on Saturday, Feb. 22.  Mount Aloysius, MIT, the University of Rhode Island, and John Jay all sit ahead of the Cadets, with the Mounties also topping the air rifle leaderboards on a 2312.0 aggregate and a year-best 2327 score in their NCAA Qualifier match at Akron University this past Saturday.  Norwich owns advantages in their aggregate score over Schreiner University, Plattsburgh State University, the United States Coast Guard Academy, and SUNY Maritime.
• Like the smallbore, Sophia Ashford paces Norwich in air rifle action, ranking seventh among all MAC shooters on a 569.16 average.  Against the University of Rhode Island this past January, she set a career-best mark of 583, while surpassing the 560-plateau in all six of her competitions this year.  Sage Kontny (Clancy, Mont.) ranks second on the team and 23rd overall on a 541 aggregate, kicking off the 2024-25 campaign with a season-best 552 outing against Army and John Jay.  Ben Kelley trails just a few spots behind with a 538.16 tally, with his top performance coming at MIT on Feb. 8, 2025, courtesy of a 549 effort.

SCHEDULE:

• The Cadets will take to the DuPont Rifle Range over the course of three different relays between Saturday and Sunday's events.  The first day will feature smallbore competition, as Jacob Cohn (Colchester, Conn.) and Jasmin Mann (Virginia Beach, Va.) will compete in the day's second relay, set to happen between 2:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.  Three Norwich shooters will then participate in the third relay, scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., as Ben Kelley, Aiden Burris, and Sophia Ashford will compete.
• At the conclusion of Saturday's events, smallbore awards, regular season, and academic awards will follow the end of relay three.
• Five Cadets will suit up for Sunday's air rifle action from 9:30 a.m. through 11:00 a.m, with Brady Simmons (Middletown, Del.), Evan Elders (Spring Hill, Fla.), Ben Kelley, Sage Kontny, and Sophia Ashford battling it out with fellow competitors.
• Air rifle and aggregate awards will follow the conclusion of the third relay on Sunday.

All smallbore competition will begin on Saturday, Mar. 1, at 12:00 p.m., followed by air rifle action at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 2.  Live scoring will be available via ShooterOnline, with results to follow when available.