West Virginia was represented at the highest level of a pair college sports on Saturday as the Mountaineers brought home multiple national championships to Morgantown.
To kick the day off, the WVU Rifle team further secured their spot as one of the most dominant programs in the sport, returning to prominence with their first NCAA Rifle National Championship since 2017. It is the 20th overall national title won by the program and a sweet victory after coming up just short as national runner-up in 2024.
The Mountaineers entered the day third overall at the competition, and trailed by ten points to host school Kentucky entering the final event -- but senior Natalie Perrin and freshman Ashlyn Blake's strong performances pushed the Mountaineers to a narrow one-point win on the sport's biggest stage.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! West Virginia Collects Programs 20th NCAA Title
— WVU Rifle (@WVURifle) March 15, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/x880laeaGZ#HailWV pic.twitter.com/nTwO5XnOZY
The championship on Saturday was capped as WVU track and field senior distance runner and Canadian steeplechase record-holder Ceili McCabe took the track for the women's 3,000-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship.
Riding high off the momentum of capturing the Big 12 Championship in the 3,000-meter run and the Distance Medley Relay, McCabe captured the most significant win of her collegiate career. Despite entering the 3,000-meter run ranked tenth nationally, McCabe put forth a massive effort and outpaced the competition, crossing the line in 9 minutes, 1.18 seconds to claim her first-ever NCAA National Championship.
The Vancouver, British Columbia-native was a 2024 Olympian, and adds her first-ever national title to a trophy case that includes the 2022 Canadian national Championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 2023 Canadian Cross Country Championship in the 10,000-meter run.
CEILI MCCABE IS YOUR 3,000 METER NATIONAL CHAMPION 🏆👏#HailWV pic.twitter.com/piUmpbtwM0
— WVU Cross Country/Track & Field (@WVUXCTF) March 15, 2025