STATESBORO – For the first time in program history the Georgia Southern rifle team will compete at the NCAA Rifle Championships as the Eagles are set to begin the 2025 Championships this weekend inside the University of Kentucky's Historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.
The national event will begin Friday with smallbore and conclude Saturday with air rifle competition. An individual final in each discipline will conclude each day of competition. Action both days will be spread across two relays with the first relay both days starting at approx. 9 a.m. ET. A
NCAA.com live stream of competition will be available online Friday and Saturday along with live targets through
MegaLink.
NCAA RIFLE EVENT WEBSITE (Tickets, parking, etc.)
Below is the schedule and the Eagles' point assignments and competitors. All teams can change their lineup up until practice day.
Friday, March 14
7:30 a.m. – Historic Memorial Coliseum doors open
8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. – Smallbore Individual and Team Competition with Finals
Relay #1: Call to the line: 8:45 a.m.; Prep/Sighters: 9 a.m.; Competition: 9:15 – 10:45 a.m. (
Ella Goldfaden, Pt 2;
Emme Walrath, Pt. 3;
Tori Watts, Pt. 4)
Relay #2: Call to the line: 11:30 a.m.; Prep/Sighters: 11:45 a.m.; Competition: Noon – 1:30 p.m. (
Emma Pohlmann, Pt. 6;
Bremen Butler, Pt. 7)
Individual Finals: Report time - 2 p.m.
Final: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 15
7:30 a.m. – Historic Memorial Coliseum doors open
8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. – Air Rifle Individual and Team Competition with Finals
Relay #1: Call to the line: 8:45 a.m.; Prep/Sighters: 9 a.m.; Competition: 9:15 – 10:30 a.m. (
Ella Goldfaden, Pt 2;
Emme Walrath, Pt. 3;
Tori Watts, Pt. 4)
Relay #2: Call to the line: 11:00 a.m.; Prep/Sighters: 11:15 a.m.; Competition: 11:30 – 12:45 p.m. (
Emma Pohlmann, Pt. 6;
Bremen Butler, Pt. 7)
Individual Finals: Report time - 1:30 p.m.
Final: 2-3 p.m.
Awards: Upon Completion of Finals
Georgia Southern is the first SoCon rifle team to qualify for the NCAA Championships since ETSU did it in 1986.
The Eagles' NCAA qualifying score was the last factor determining the field for the 2025 NCAA Rifle Championships. Each team's three score aggregate average – the score based on each team's highest three regular season scores fired at three different locations – was already recorded. The qualifier score was added to that average and the teams with the eight highest combined scores qualified for the NCAA Championship.
Georgia Southern's three scores it counts as part of its NCAA Qualifying score are its 4,745 at Army, its 4,742 at Kentucky, and its 4,733 fired at VMI. Adding Southern's 4,707 qualifying score, GS's total for NCAA selection was 9,447.00, which seeded the Eagles seventh. Alaska Fairbanks is seeded first at 9509.00 with West Virginia second (9,496), Kentucky third (9483.33), defending champion TCU fifth (9,473.00), Ole Miss sixth (9,471.00), Murray State sixth (9,459.00) and Air Force eighth (9,443.00). Seeding are only used for shooter placements as all teams start on equal footing at the event.
Southern is averaging a 2,342.462.25 in smallbore (7th in the NCAA) and 2382.077 in air rifle (4th in the NCAA) for a season aggregate average of 4,724.539 (5th in the NCAA).
NCAA NUGGETS
• This is the first team appearance for Georgia Southern Rifle at the NCAA Championships in its 12-year history of the program. The squad missed out last year by less than a point. Southern is the first SoCon program to send a team to the NCAAs since ETSU in 1986.
• Georgia Southern has had three individual qualifiers in its program history, all in air rifle: Rosemary Kramer (2019; 3rd place),
Addy Burrow (2023) and
Emma Pohlmann (2024).
•
Tori Watts and
Emma Pohlmann are the only Eagles with NCAA Championship experience. Watts shot with Nebraska in 2023 (584-594=1,178) and Pohlmann made it as an individual last year in air rifle (594; T-14th).
• Freshman
Emme Walrath will spend the rest of the spring semester in Ireland at Georgia Southern's Wexford Campus as part of the Global Honor's College Study Abroad Program.
• Head coach
Soren Butler shot at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Championships for Alaska Fairbanks and assistant coach Abby Gordon shot in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Championships with TCU, earning a podium finish all three times.
• All five Eagles scheduled to shoot this weekend have earned CRCA All-American honors during their career.
Emme Walrath and
Bremen Butler earned All-America honors this year while Emma Polhlmann and
Ella Goldfaden were honored last year. Watts earned All-America honors in 2023 when she was with Nebraska.
All-session and single-session tickets are on sale now through the
UK Athletics Account Manager. All-session tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for youth (ages 3-18) and seniors (age 65+). Single-session tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for youth (ages 3-18) and seniors (age 65+). Children ages 2 and under will be admitted free of charge.
