It’s a dynasty: Kentucky rifle wins second consecutive NCAA championship, fourth overall
Harry Mullins was self-aware enough to know his hands were shaking, which meant the phone he held sent a slightly crooked video feed to media members during a Zoom call with him on Saturday evening.
But the pictures transmitted were clear enough to explain the reasons for Mullins’ excitement: A confetti-strewn floor at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, championship hats and T-shirts on display and trophies that will soon be on their way back to Lexington.
The occasion for the video call will sound familiar: Another NCAA team championship won by the Kentucky rifle team.
UK won its fourth NCAA team title in rifle on Saturday afternoon, and its second-straight national crown in the sport.
The Wildcats have won NCAA team championships in rifle in 2011, 2018, 2021 and now 2022, all under the leadership of Mullins, who became the UK rifle head coach in 1987.
“Definitely unbelievable, kind of surreal,” senior Will Shaner said.
“I think a really big aspect that gives us an advantage is we have fun,” junior Mary Tucker said. “Especially in situations like this being here at NCAAs, you see a lot of the teams and they’re all really stressed out. Everybody puts a lot of pressure on this match. While we do value it a lot, we’re able to come in and do what we want to do and still have a lot of fun with it.”
Why does Mullins think he’s built such a successful rifle program at UK, especially over the last decade?
“A big part of it is just being part of Kentucky athletics,” Mullins said. “Embracing that part of it creates the atmosphere and environment for (UK rifle athletes) to become successful.”
Kentucky began the two-day NCAA championships on Friday with a 2,360 smallbore team score that was the highest team smallbore score in NCAA Championship history, before following that with a 2,379 air rifle score Saturday.
This gave UK a 4,739 team score, which is the best team score at the NCAA Championships in the 60-shot era.
TCU came in second with a 4,736 team score, and Alaska Fairbanks finished third with a 4,733.
Murray State finished seventh with a 4,687.
Kentucky received strong performances this weekend from its two highest-profile shooters: Shaner and Tucker.
Shaner won the NCAA individual title in smallbore on Friday and finished the weekend second in individual aggregate score at 1,187. In July, Shaner won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with an Olympic-record score in the men’s 10-meter air rifle event, becoming the first American to win the event.
“It’s definitely made me be more comfortable with international matches. Having a team to rely on and that family dynamic I think it’s a big help,” Shaner said of UK rifle’s impact on his improvement as a shooter. “I do owe a lot to (Mullins) for all my past success. He’s always pushed me in the right direction and done the right things to get me where I need to be, even if I didn’t see what he was doing.”
Tucker came in second behind Shaner in the individual smallbore championship, after Tucker won the event last year. On Saturday, Tucker finished second in the individual air rifle finals.
She finished the NCAA Championships as the top aggregate performer, with Shaner coming in second.
Tucker also finished as the top aggregate performer at the 2021 championships.
“When she’s on the range, she’s 100% engaged,” Mullins told the Herald-Leader in February about Tucker. “A lot of times people do their jobs or they perform in athletics to where they just kind of do to be doing. She’s very purposeful in what she does.”
Joining that duo in the five-person UK team picked by Mullins to compete this weekend were senior Richard Clark, junior Jaden Thompson and freshman Allison Buesseler.
It was Buesseler who sealed the NCAA team title for UK with a perfect final 10 shots in air rifle on Saturday.
It’s fair to call Kentucky a dynasty in the sport of rifle.
Mullins is now the second coach in UK history to win four national championships during their time at the school.
The other? Adolph Rupp with the Kentucky men’s basketball program.
UK’s four national titles in rifle are the third-most in NCAA history.
In a conversation with the Herald-Leader in February, Mullins praised UK Athletics administration — and in particular UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart — for supporting the rifle program and providing it with the tools to become successful.
“To work for a department that enables you to be able to do that, and treats you the same good or bad. The expectation of Kentucky basketball is always to win a national championship right?’” Mullins said in February. “You know what? I have the same feeling. Some years I deliver, some years I can’t. As much as that’s awesome, it’s also a lot of pressure to work with.”
On Saturday, Mullins showed no signs of that pressure when again thanking Barnhart and UK administrators for their support of the UK rifle team.
Mullins said Barnhart has come to Barker Hall, where the UK rifle range is located, to meet with UK’s rifle athletes and watch them compete.
“It means the world, because they’re committed to us,” Mullins said of being able to reward this support with another NCAA championship.
