Baldwin, Wee Make History as No. 8 Navy Rifle Sweeps Weekend in Ohio
No. 8 Navy rifle continued its outstanding start to the 2026-27 season with a weekend sweep in Ohio, but Isabella Baldwin and Tyler Wee turned Sunday’s competition into a historic afternoon for the Midshipmen. Navy defeated No. 15 Akron, 4,732-4,674, on Saturday before scoring 4,743 points Sunday to defeat No. 3 TCU’s 4,724 and No. 14 Ohio State’s 4,684. The victories improved Navy to a perfect 6-0 overall and 1-0 in the Great America Rifle Conference.
The biggest story came Sunday when Baldwin and Wee each fired a perfect 600 in air rifle, something Navy believes has happened only twice in NCAA history with teammates accomplishing the feat in the same competition. Remarkably, Baldwin and Wee are responsible for both instances after becoming the first known teammates to accomplish it last season at The Citadel. Both Midshipmen also fired 595s in smallbore Sunday, tying Navy’s program record and producing identical 1,195 aggregate scores, another school record.
Navy Takes Care of Akron
Navy began its road trip Saturday at the Robert A. Pinn Shooting Range with a convincing 4,732-4,674 victory over No. 15 Akron. The Midshipmen entered the weekend already carrying significant momentum after defeating No. 3 TCU and sweeping VMI’s mixed and women’s teams during their season-opening competition in Annapolis. Saturday represented Navy’s first road competition of the season and its first GARC matchup.
Freshman Hannah Talbott delivered the performance of the day for Navy, posting a personal-best 1,192 aggregate score and earning MVP honors from head coach Mike Anti. Tyler Wee and Talbott each came within a single point of perfection in air rifle by shooting 599s. Navy’s overall performance produced its second-highest team score through the first two competitions of the season and gave the Midshipmen their fourth victory of the year.
The performance also showed that Navy’s early-season success was not limited to one or two athletes. Seven Midshipmen established personal-best scores during the Ohio weekend, according to Anti, giving Navy valuable depth behind its top performers. That depth would become even more important one day later when the Midshipmen faced nationally ranked TCU and Ohio State in Columbus.
Baldwin and Wee Deliver Historic Sunday
Sunday’s competition at Converse Hall produced one of the most remarkable individual performances in Navy rifle history, and it happened twice. Baldwin and Wee each scored 595 out of 600 in smallbore, tying the existing Navy program record in the discipline. They followed those performances by hitting every scoring opportunity necessary to record perfect 600 scores in air rifle, finishing with identical 1,195 aggregate totals.
The two shooters were so evenly matched that the individual aggregate championship required another tiebreaker. Both recorded 95 center shots overall, but Wee finished with 38 smallbore centers compared with Baldwin’s 37 to earn first place in the aggregate standings. Baldwin took the air rifle title with a 600-58X performance, edging Wee’s equally perfect 600-57X.
Their 1,195 aggregate scores established a new Navy individual program record, surpassing the previous standard Wee had helped establish during his historic rookie season. The performances also placed Baldwin and Wee among the national leaders, as four shooters nationally recorded 1,195 aggregates during the weekend. Baldwin and Wee were subsequently named NAAA Athletes of the Week for their record-setting performances.
Navy Nearly Breaks Team Record
Baldwin and Wee’s performances helped Navy finish Sunday with 4,743 aggregate points, the second-highest team score in program history. The total came just two points shy of Navy’s record of 4,745, which the Midshipmen established last season during competition at The Citadel against Georgia Southern. Navy also recorded a 2,359 smallbore score, which ranks second in program history.
The Midshipmen added a 2,384 air rifle score, tying the third-highest mark in Navy history. Those numbers were enough to defeat a strong TCU team that finished with 4,724 points and Ohio State, which posted 4,684. Navy’s 19-point victory over TCU was especially notable because the Horned Frogs finished as the national runner-up at the 2026 NCAA Championships.
Navy has now defeated TCU twice in the opening weeks of the season after entering the year without a victory over the Horned Frogs in program history. The Midshipmen beat TCU, 4,729-4,718, in Annapolis on Sept. 26 before producing an even larger margin Sunday in Columbus. Navy’s two victories over one of the country’s premier programs provide an early indication that the Midshipmen could be capable of making a serious national run this season.
Baldwin Continues Remarkable Navy Career
Baldwin’s performance adds another accomplishment to what has already been an outstanding career at the Naval Academy. The senior was selected by her teammates as Navy’s captain for the 2026-27 season after accumulating nine CRCA All-American honors and nine All-GARC selections through her first three seasons. She entered the year with career averages of 587.4 in smallbore, 595.4 in air rifle and 1,182.8 in aggregate scoring.
Baldwin also recorded her first career perfect 600 in air rifle last season alongside Wee at The Citadel. That competition was believed to mark the first time in NCAA history that teammates both recorded perfect air rifle scores in the same match. Less than a year later, Baldwin and Wee incredibly duplicated their accomplishment in Columbus.
Her contributions extend beyond the range, as Baldwin has earned three CRCA Scholastic All-American selections, two CSC Academic All-District honors and one CSC Academic All-American selection. She was also Navy’s GARC Scholar-Athlete of the Year following the 2025-26 season. Baldwin’s combination of leadership, academics and elite performance has made her one of the most accomplished athletes in the Navy rifle program.
Wee Builds on Historic Rookie Season
Wee’s performance is equally impressive considering what he accomplished during his first collegiate season. He set Navy season-average records in smallbore at 590.1, air rifle at 598.6 and aggregate scoring at 1,188.7 during the 2025-26 campaign. Wee also recorded three perfect 600 air rifle performances and became the first Midshipman to win both GARC Rookie of the Year and CRCA National Rookie of the Year.
He has shown no signs of slowing down during his sophomore campaign. Wee opened the season by winning all three individual categories against TCU and VMI, recording a 592 in smallbore, 598 in air rifle and 1,190 aggregate score. He then nearly achieved perfection with a 599 Saturday at Akron before completing the perfect 600 Sunday in Columbus.
Wee and Baldwin now give Navy one of the most formidable combinations in collegiate rifle. Add Talbott’s immediate impact as a freshman and the Midshipmen have multiple athletes capable of competing near the top of major collegiate matches. That level of high-end talent, combined with Navy’s improving depth, could make the Midshipmen dangerous throughout the remainder of the season.
Perfect Start Continues
Navy’s 6-0 start becomes even more impressive when examining the quality of competition the Midshipmen have already faced. The season began with victories over TCU, VMI Mixed and VMI Women before Navy traveled to Ohio and defeated Akron, Ohio State and TCU again. Four of Navy’s six victories have come against opponents ranked inside the national top 15 at the time of competition.
The Midshipmen are also producing scores that compare favorably with the best performances in program history. Navy’s season-opening 4,729 was its highest opening-day score in program history, and the team improved to 4,732 at Akron before exploding for 4,743 in Columbus. That steady improvement leaves Navy only two points away from matching its all-time team aggregate record.
That trajectory is significant after Navy finished sixth at the 2026 NCAA Championship and third at the GARC Championship last season. The Midshipmen went 15-4 in 2025-26 while setting program season-average records in smallbore, air rifle and aggregate scoring. Early indications suggest the 2026-27 team may be capable of pushing those standards even higher.
Navy Returns Home
Navy will now receive a three-week break from competition before returning to the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range. The Midshipmen are scheduled to host Memphis and Mount Aloysius on Sunday, Oct. 25, beginning at 9 a.m. Navy will enter that match undefeated and carrying one of the hottest starts in program history.
Maintaining this level of performance will be difficult, but Navy has already demonstrated an ability to improve from one competition to the next. The Midshipmen increased their aggregate score from 4,729 in the opener to 4,732 at Akron and then 4,743 in Columbus. With Baldwin, Wee and Talbott leading an increasingly deep roster, Navy has positioned itself as a team worth watching nationally throughout the remainder of the season.
MSB Take
This was more than another undefeated weekend for Navy rifle because Baldwin and Wee accomplished something that borders on unbelievable. Shooting a perfect 600 in air rifle is already an extraordinary achievement, but having teammates do it during the same competition is exceptionally rare. The fact that Baldwin and Wee have now apparently produced the only two known instances of teammates accomplishing the feat in NCAA history makes their partnership one of the great stories currently developing in Navy athletics.
The team result may be just as important when looking toward March. Navy beat the defending national runner-up TCU for the second time in two weeks, posted the second-highest aggregate score in program history and came within two points of breaking the school record. After finishing sixth nationally last season, the Midshipmen look capable of becoming much more than simply an NCAA Championship participant in 2027.
There is still a long season ahead, and collegiate rifle championships are decided by performing under tremendous pressure at exactly the right time. However, Navy is 6-0, its best shooters are rewriting the record book and a freshman in Talbott is already producing elite-level scores. If the Midshipmen continue progressing at this rate, Navy could have the talent and depth necessary to make a legitimate run at one of the best seasons in program history.
