Huskers Aim Towards NCAA Qualification at Ohio State

The No. 10 Nebraska rifle team will head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 13 Ohio State in an NCAA-qualifying match on Saturday, Feb. 22. The match is set to begin at 9 a.m. (central). Live results can be found here. 

The Huskers are looking for their 21st NCAA Championship appearance since 2000. NU placed eighth at last year’s NCAA Championships, with Cecelia Ossi placing sixth overall. 

Saturday's score will determine 50 percent of the score that determines if teams qualify for the NCAA Championships. It will be combined with the average of Nebraska's top-three team scores at different locations from this season. Those scores are 4,731 (at Army, 1/25/25), 4,720 (vs. UTEP, 11/10/24) and 4,710 (at Akron, 11/17/24). 

“We’re excited to be heading to Columbus this weekend," Head Coach Richard Clark said. "It’s a close race for the last few qualifying spots, and we are more than in the race. The team got some much-needed rest with the off weekend last week, and have gotten back to doing the little things right on the range. If we stay true to ourselves and focus on doing the little things we’ve rehearsed, I think we are going to see some great things.” 

Nebraska looks to continue with its solid season after setting numerous team and personal records during the regular season. The Big Red broke its aggregate school record with its score of 4,731 against Army, UAB, and Mount Aloysius on Jan. 25. That same day, the Huskers also set a new team record in the smallbore with their score of 2,354.

NU’s individual athletes shined throughout the season as well. Junior Emma Rhode shot a school-record individual aggregate score with a score of 1,193, which she shot twice at the Withrow Invitational on Jan. 17, and then the following week at Army on Jan. 25. The Huskers’ freshman class has proved strong, with freshman Maddy Moyer shooting the highest single-match smallbore score for a freshman with her mark of 591 against UTEP on Nov. 10. At PRC Championships on Feb. 8-9, Alivia Perkins led the team in the smallbore with a score of 586.

Nebraska most recently competed in the Patriot Rifle Conference Championships in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Feb. 8-9, finishing fifth overall. NU scored a 4,699 in the aggregate, including a 2,369 in the air rifle and a 2,330 in the smallbore. The championship field featured five of the top ten teams in the country, and all seven conference teams were in the top 16. 

The Huskers have faced Ohio State twice this season, defeating them both times. Nebraska first beat the Buckeyes on Nov. 16 4,708-4,685, and most recently topped them at the PRC Championships, with Ohio State placing sixth just under the Big Red. 

The selection show for the NCAA Championships will air live on https://www.ncaa.com at 5 p.m. (central) on Monday, Feb. 24. The championships will take place on March 14-15 in Lexington, Kentucky.