Rifle: TCU takes second at NCAA National Championship

The TCU rifle team concluded a successful 2022-23 season at the NCAA National Championship this past Friday and Saturday, when the Horned Frogs overcame a slow start with a strong second-day performance to take second place with a final score of 4,717. It’s the third consecutive runner-up finish at the national meet for the Horned Frogs, who were in sixth after the first day before catching fire with a dominant second-day outing.

TCU totaled a team score of 2,338 during the smallbore competition on Friday, with freshman Julie Johannessen shooting a 586 while Stephanie Grundsoee added 585. The Horned Frogs, who entered the event ranked No. 1 in the country, sat in sixth place out of eight schools after the first day before rallying during the air rifle competition on Saturday, when Johannessen fired a nearly perfect score of 599 and freshman Katie Zaun followed with a 598. Zaun and Johannessen each made the individual finals, with Zaun taking seventh while Johannessen placed eighth. TCU’s team score of 2,379 on Saturday was enough to vault the Horned Frogs over Kentucky, Ole Miss, West Virginia and Nebraska.

Alaska-Fairbanks finished first with a final score of 4,729. The NCAA National Championship concluded a succesful campaign for the Horned Frogs, who won the Patriot Rifle Conference title and reached the NCAA National Championship for the 17th consecutive season. TCU won the NCAA Qualifier at Air Force on Feb. 18 with a team score of 4,745 to earn its way into the NCAA National Championship over the weekend. The Horned Frogs placed second in the smallbore competition and first in the air rifle competiton at the Patriot Rifle Conference Championship from Feb. 4-5, winning with a 4,750 final team score.