AKRON, Ohio — The University of Akron's rifle team is headed to the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.

Akron finished the regular season ranked number five.

“It means everything. I’m here because I love my sport, and I love my team. It’s nice to get up every morning and say to myself I get to work with my team. It really doesn’t get any better than that,” said head coach Newt Engle.

Joining Akron at the 2020 Championship are Air Force, Kentucky, Murray State, Nebraska, Navy, TCU, and West Virginia.

The top teams in both the smallbore three-position and air rifle events were selected based on the average of the three highest regular season aggregate scores with no more than one match at any site, according to the NCAA. The average of the three highest scores was added to the aggregate scores from qualifiers to determine the top eight teams.

The championship takes place March 13-14 at the University of Kentucky.

