Nanook Rifle Team Faces Off with Ohio State

Story and photos by Aaron Thomas

Ohio State and UAF’s rifle teams at the E.F. Hortion rifle range on October 17, 2025.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ rifle team started the season off with a bang on October 17 for their first match of the season. They competed against Ohio State at the E.F. Hortion rifle range in the Patty Center on the first day of the matchup, and at the Tanana Valley Sports Association for the second day.

The Nanook rifle team has a storied history at UAF, claiming 11 NCAA championship titles through the years. Founded in 1937, the team predates rifle being an NCAA recognized sport; a testament to the sport’s relationship with the university. 

UAF’s rifle team is currently ranked number four in the preseason NCAA league as they prepare to take on the 2025-2026 season.

“We have good things happening in practice but as we shoot matches we're getting a lot of good feedback that we'll be able to adjust to,” said Randi Loudin, the team's head coach. 

After former head coach Will Anti stepped down last season, Loudin took over the role as head coach after serving as the assistant coach during Anti’s tenure.

“This is my first year as head coach and so a lot of things look the same, some things look a little different,” said Loudin. 

Tobias Bernhoft-Osa, right, shoots in the standing position.

She has been involved in UAF’s rifle team for seven years. As assistant coach, she helped lead the rifle team to win the 2021 NCAA championship, bringing the Nanooks back to the forefront.

The scoring at an NCAA rifle meet combines the cumulative points earned across two categories, the smallbore division and the air rifle division. Each shot can earn up to 10 points depending on how close it strikes to the center of the target. Each team member shoots 20 times in the standing, kneeling, and laying position for both smallbore and air rifle. These points are then tallied together and the team with the highest combined score wins.

The scores for the first day were close, with Ohio State narrowly winning the smallbore division with a score of 2341—one point ahead of UAF’s 2340. The Nanooks won the air rifle division 2382 to 2373. UAF’s performance in the air rifle division pushed their aggregate score to a total of 4722 handing them the victory against Ohio State’s 4714. 

On the second day of the tournament, UAF secured another victory against Ohio State. Scoring a 2357 against Ohio’s 2338 in the smallbore category and a 2383 against 2367 in the air rifle category, UAF won with a total aggregate score of 4740. 

“I think they did a great job of working through that first bit of the competition and being able to shoot the way they want to while also embracing the competition day vibes,” said Loudin.

In the transition from last season, the team’s lineup has changed, gaining several new faces and losing some longtime members.

Noah Merierotto and Amanda Pettersen shooting smallbore rifles.

“We lost a lot of… older blood last year and so it's kind of a big turnover, but it's refreshing to see the new ones come up and the new perspectives that we brought in from the transfer. So I'm excited to see how they evolve over the season and build up going into next semester,” said Cecilia Ossi, the team’s new assistant coach. 

Ossi spent two years competing on UAF’s rifle team as a graduate student before joining the coaching staff. While on the team, Ossi helped lead the team to its 4th Precision Rifle Challenge title and set several Nanook records. Though Ossi is no longer shooting for the team, her experience helps guide the next generation of athletes. 

Seniors Sarah Karasova and Rachel Charles graduated this past season, leaving the team without their expertise. Karasova, hailing from the Czech Republic, was a key player on the Nanooks all four years that she competed. She was named Collegiate Rifles Coaches Association All-American in smallbore, air-rifle, and aggregate her senior year. In four meets during her senior year, she scored a total of 598 in the air rifle division, only 2 points off a perfect score. 

Charles spent three years on the team and earned a variety of accolades, including the CRCA Aggregate All-American Honorable Mention, CRCA Smallbore Second Team All-American, and CRCA Scholastic All-American. 

In their absence, several new players on the team have been stepping up. Noah Meierotto, an incoming freshman, set a personal record in the smallbore category at the match with Ohio State. Winning numerous titles when she competed at Lathrop high school, she brings potential to the team’s current season. 

Left to right, UAF rifle team members Lucie Kissenberger, Tobias Bernhoft-Osa, Noah Merierotto and Amanda Pettersen shoot during the October 17 face off against Ohio State.

Marshall Schmidt, a new freshman on the team from New York, is a 5 time competitor at the rifle junior Olympics where he won the New York State Men’s Smallbore Rifle Championship in 2024 and a New York State Men’s Air Rifle Championship in 2023 and 2024. 

Julianna Hays, A transfer student from Ole Miss, brings her experience to the Nanooks this year after shooting for the Rebels as they won consecutive NCAA titles. 

“Right now the transfers, like they've been great energy coming into the range and bring a lot of different perspectives having shot on other teams around the U.S. So just having them here and like giving us another perspective has been awesome,” said Loudin. 

While a new season always brings challenges and trepidation, UAF’s rifle team seems well positioned to take on the competition. On October 25 for their next match, the Nanooks prepare to face off with the Air Force Academy in Colorado.