The NCAA rifle season is barely underway, and perfect scores are already piling up. The latest belongs to University of Kentucky senior Braden Peiser, who fired a flawless 600-53X in air rifle on October 10 as the No. 2 Wildcats beat No. 9 Murray State, as first reported by NRA’s Shooting Sports USA.
A Perfect Card in the Home Opener
Peiser shot his perfect air rifle score with a Walther LG500 itec at Kentucky’s Barker Hall in Lexington. It was the third 600 of his college career and his first since the 2025 Great American Rifle Conference Championships at West Virginia. His first perfect score, a 600-59X at Alaska-Fairbanks, still shares the NCAA record for the most center-ten X’s on a perfect card.
He added a 592-37X in smallbore, including a 199 in prone, for an aggregate of 1192-90X. Murray State’s Mallory Johnson kept pace with him in smallbore, but Peiser’s standing air rifle performance settled the individual race. Johnson finished at 1183.
As a team, Kentucky won 4724-4702. The Wildcats took smallbore 2341-2336 and posted 2383 in air rifle. Two underclassmen stepped up, too: freshman Maggie Palfrey and sophomore Jacob St. Hilaire each fired career-best 597-49X air rifle scores, and Palfrey’s 1180 aggregate placed third overall. Head coach Harry Mullins credited Peiser’s determination and focus.
Six Perfect Scores in 15 Days
Peiser is in good company. According to SSUSA, five shooters from three programs combined for six perfect scores in the first 15 days of the season. For comparison, the entire previous season produced 13 before the NCAA Championship.
- West Virginia: Sophomore Océanne Muller shot 600-57X on September 26 against Mount Aloysius, then went perfect again on October 3 at Army, becoming the first WVU shooter to post perfect scores in back-to-back matches. Junior Jennifer Kocher fired her first career 600 the next day.
- Navy: On October 4 at Ohio State, Isabella Baldwin and Tyler Wee both shot 595 in smallbore and 600 in air rifle. Baldwin edged Wee on X-count, 58 to 57. It was the second time the pair has gone perfect in the same match.
Why This Matters for Shooting Families
A 600 in air rifle means 60 shots, every one of them a ten. That kind of consistency comes from years of disciplined practice, not expensive equipment alone.
GUN Crusade’s take: Collegiate rifle is one of the most overlooked paths for young shooters, and programs such as Kentucky, Murray State, Georgia Southern and The Citadel all appear in this season’s results. Most of these athletes started in junior programs such as 4-H shooting sports, JROTC, Scouting or local club teams. If your son or daughter enjoys shooting and has the patience for precision work, a few next steps:
- Look for a junior air rifle or smallbore program at a local club or through 4-H and JROTC.
- Start with air rifle at home ranges or club basements; it is quiet, inexpensive per shot and builds sound fundamentals.
- Ask coaches about postal matches and state junior championships, which give young shooters a scored record over time.
Next up, Kentucky was scheduled to host No. 15 Akron, while West Virginia was set to visit Georgia Southern. Check team athletics sites for the latest scores.
