MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Rifle Coach Jon Hammond announced the signing of Mary Tucker for a grant for the 2022-23 academic year.

A native of Sarasota, Fla., Tucker comes to WVU after spending her first three seasons at Kentucky, where she helped the Wildcats win a pair of NCAA national championships in 2021 and 2022. She also led the UK to three Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) regular season titles (2020-22) and two GARC Championship crowns in 2020 and 2022.

Tucker also boasts a trio of individual NCAA National Championships, winning the crown in all three categories at the 2021 NCAA Rifle Championships. Additionally, Tucker qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Team USA in Women’s Small Bore Air Rifle and won a silver medal in the Mixed Team Air Rifle event. He will have two years of eligibility left.

“Any time you have the opportunity to bring a world-class athlete and an Olympic medalist to a team, you have to jump on it,” Hammond said. “Mary has already had great success, and I know she will continue to do so. She brings her experience and abilities to our team, but more than that, her determination and competitive spirit is something that will really improve our Above all, I hope we can provide an environment where she will be happy and flourishing during her last two years of eligibility.”

In 2021-22, Tucker finished the season with averages of 590.182 in small arms, 597 in air rifle and 1187.182 in overall scoring, all ranked second in the nation. In small arms, she shot 590 or better eight times in 13 games, including a season-high 594 twice.

In air rifle, she had a 598 or better in nine games a season ago. Additionally, she recorded a perfect 600 in the discipline for the second time in her career against NC State on January 16. Overall, Tucker showed an all-around score of 1,190 or better in six games during his junior campaign.

Tucker was named to the All-GARC first team in small-bore, air rifle and combined scoring prior to the conference championships. At the end of the season, she was also named to the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American First Team for Overall Scoring, Small Bore and Air Rifle.

Tucker also competed at the Junior Pan American Games in the 2021-22 campaign, where she won a pair of gold medals in the women’s 10-meter air rifle and mixed teams events.

As a sophomore in 2020-21, Tucker averaged 592.417 in small bore, 597.75 in air rifle and an overall score of 1190.167. Additionally, she set career highs in both small-bore and air rifle during the season, with a 597 in small-bore in NCAA qualifying and a 600 in air rifle in the Kentucky Long Rifle Match. Of note, his career-high 597 smallbore mark tied the NCAA record.

Tucker was one of three shooters nationally to record a perfect air rifle 600 in 2020-21, and posted two cumulative scores of 1195 or better, which also tied the record for the NCAA. Additionally, Tucker was the only shooter in the nation that year with two scores over 595 small calibers. She also scored 1,191 or more on six occasions during the 2020-21 campaign, while the rest of the NCAA scored six.

Tucker concluded her historic 2020-21 campaign by being named CRCA and GARC Athlete of the Year, after winning the NCAA Individual National Championship in Small Arms, Air Rifle and Overall Score. She was also named to the All-GARC First Team in Small Arms, Air Rifle and Combined Scoring. Finally, Tucker was selected to the first-team CRCA All-America in small-bore, air rifle and overall scoring to wrap up her sophomore season.

As a freshman in 2019-20, Tucker was one of three NCAA shooters to post a smallbore score of 593 or better, while she also had the discipline’s best score at 595. She was also one of four in the NCAA to score a 599 or better in air rifle in 2019-20, doing so four times. Tucker had seven of nine NCAA overall scores of 1,190 or higher nationally as a rookie.

At the 2019-20 GARC Championships, Tucker won gold in overall scoring, silver in small bore, and bronze in air rifle. Prior to the 2019-20 Championships, she was named to the All-GARC First Team in Small Arms, Air Rifle and Combined Score, while winning GARC Rookie and Shooter of the Year awards.

After her freshman season, Tucker was selected to the CRCA All-America First Team for overall scoring and was named CRCA Rookie and Shooter of the Year. She was also selected to the collegiate All-America first team for smallbore, air rifle and combined scoring.

On the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) circuit, Tucker won gold in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup in March 2021. At the World Junior Championships ISSF 2021, she won the gold medal in the air. mixed team rifle, the silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event and the bronze medal in the 50-meter three-position rifle event.

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