NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University rifle team rewrote its record book during Parents & Family Weekend on Saturday morning, establishing new program highs in aggregate and air rifle while earning a 4457-3742 victory over Schreiner University at Baroffio's Rifle Range.
Norwich combined a 2176 performance in smallbore with a record-setting 2281 in air rifle to post its 4457 aggregate, surpassing the previous program record of 4406 that had been matched twice.
The Cadets' 2281 air rifle total also reset a record established only three weeks earlier at West Point. Norwich had fired a 2245 against West Virginia University, John Jay College, and the United States Coast Guard Academy on Oct. 4, marking a 36-point improvement from that performance.
Norwich also produced one of the strongest smallbore outings in program history. The Cadets' 2176 represented the third-highest team score in the discipline, finishing just 20 points shy of the program record established during NCAA qualification at West Point to close the 2024-25 campaign.
Junior Apollo Antcliff sparked Norwich's record-setting air rifle lineup with a career-best 575, improving their previous personal record by 56 points.
Sophomore Katie Gillooly followed just one point behind with a 574, while junior Magali Delarosa Cuenca fired a personal-best 569.
Senior Sage Kontny completed the scoring quartet with a career-best 563, giving Norwich the four performances necessary to establish its new 2281 team standard.
The records continued in smallbore.
Freshman Meryah White led Norwich's designated scoring lineup with a personal-best 550, followed by fellow freshman August Ortega, who established a personal record of his own with a 544.
Junior Makeda Watson contributed a 542, while Gillooly completed Norwich's scoring four with a 540 in her first collegiate smallbore appearance.
Although her scores did not count toward Norwich's designated team totals, sophomore Meghan Smith delivered the top individual performance of the match.
Smith led all competitors with an 1129 aggregate after firing a 552 in smallbore and a match-best 577 in air rifle. All three marks represented personal records.
Her 1129 aggregate led Gillooly's 1114 and Schreiner's Cora Anderson, who finished third overall at 1112 behind a 542 in smallbore and 570 in air rifle.
White followed fourth overall among athletes competing in both disciplines with an 1106 aggregate, while Ortega posted a 1090.
Norwich controlled both team disciplines against Schreiner. The Cadets held a 2176-1764 advantage in smallbore before outscoring the Mountaineers, 2281-1978, in air rifle.
The victory marked another substantial step forward from Norwich's first two competitions of the season. After opening the year with a 4299 aggregate against MIT, the Cadets climbed to 4380 at West Point before adding another 77 points Saturday to establish the new 4457 program standard.
The improvement has been especially pronounced in air rifle, where Norwich has progressed from 2215 in the season opener to 2245 at West Point and now 2281 against Schreiner.
NORWICH LEADERS:
Saturday's match concludes Norwich's fall competition schedule. The Cadets will now break from match action until the second semester, returning to Baroffio's Rifle Range on Jan. 15 to host Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference opponent University of Rhode Island. The matchup has become an annual start to the second-semester schedule for both programs. At the conclusion of Saturday's competition, Norwich sat fourth in the overall MAC standings, immediately behind Rhode Island.
