NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University rifle team capped off a strong 2024-25 season with multiple Cadets earning postseason recognition from the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) after their performance at the MAC Championships this past weekend.
Several team members were honored as All-MAC performers, as the appearance marked the second for Norwich since being reinstated as a varsity program in 2022.
Sophia Ashford (Northfield, Vt.) led the way for Norwich, earning All-MAC First Team honors in smallbore and All-MAC Second Team recognition in air rifle after finishing eighth overall in the MAC Championship with an aggregate score of 1,120 on splits of 560.33 in smallbore and 569.17 in air rifle.
Her efforts helped the Cadets to a third-place team finish in smallbore and a fifth-place result in air rifle, contributing to Norwich's fourth-place overall standing with a two-gun score 4,356 at the championship event hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at the DuPont Rifle Range.
Alongside Ashford,
Aiden Burris (Marietta, Ga.) was recognized on the All-MAC Second Team for smallbore after posting a 550.33 score in the MAC Championship. Additionally,
Makeda Watson (Braintree, Mass.) was honored as a member of the All-MAC Rookie Team for smallbore, behind a 512.20 mark at MIT.
The Cadets' championship performance was highlighted by key individual effort, including
Ben Kelley's (Niantic, Conn.) 12th-place finish overall with an aggregate score of 1,097. Ashford's fifth-place tie in smallbore and ninth-place tie in air rifle underscored her consistency and leadership throughout the season.
In addition to their success on the range, the Cadets excelled in the classroom, with eight members of the team earning recognition on the All-MAC Academic Team. Ashford, Burris, and Watson, in addition to
Jacob Cohn (Colchester, Conn.),
Jayden LaVecchia (Post Falls, Idaho),
Jasmin Mann (Virginia Beach, Va.),
Grace Richardson (Phoenix, Ariz.), and
Brady Simmons (Middletown, Del.), were all honored for their commitment to academic excellence.
Norwich also had five student-athletes receive the Scholastic Excellence distinction, the highest academic honor awarded by the conference. Ashford, Burris, Mann, Simmons, and Watson were recognized for maintaining outstanding academic records.
The Cadets close the 2024-25 campaign sporting a 2-4 record, having topped John Jay College, MIT, Schreiner University, and Plattsburgh State University throughout the year.
