The 2026 USA Shooting Rifle Fall Selection Match saw intense competition in the smallbore disciplines from August 21-23 at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Braden Peiser and Katie Zaun emerged as the top performers, each claiming their respective 50m three-position smallbore titles.
Braden Peiser's path to victory in the men's open division highlighted the strategic importance of national championship scores in the overall selection process. Despite placing sixth among the eight finalists based solely on his two qualification match scores of 587 and 587, Peiser carried a significant 1181 national championship score into the competition, a full ten points clear of any other contender in the men’s 50m three-position field. This substantial cushion propelled him to the top of the qualification standings with a total of 2355 points. He then solidified his lead with a 358 in the final, the highest score in the men’s final of the week, bringing his total to 2713.0 for the win. Ivan Roe finished as the runner-up with 2702.3 after a 354.3 final, while Gavin Barnick, who posted the highest single match score for any man in the discipline with a 590, took third place at 2685.5.
In contrast to Peiser's strategic win, Katie Zaun demonstrated dominant form across every phase of the women's open smallbore competition. Zaun's 1175 national championship score was the best in the women’s field. She also recorded the highest single match score of anyone across both smallbore relays, firing a 594. Her strong performance culminated in the best final score of the entire match, men’s or women’s, with a 362.9. These combined efforts gave Zaun a commanding victory with a total of 2719.9 points. Cecelia Ossi secured second place with 2706.8, and Paris 2024 silver medalist Sagen Maddalena claimed third with 2695.8. Alison Weisz, who posted the best two-match total in the women’s field at 1183, finished fourth at 2685.3, less than three points off the podium. Griffin Lake, who also fired a 590 in the opening men’s match, likewise finished fourth in his division at 2673.1. Both Weisz and Lake had won 10m air rifle titles earlier in the week but were unable to convert their success into a second podium finish in smallbore.
The junior standings at the Fall Selection Match are determined differently, factoring only the two qualification matches without the national championship score or the final. This distinction led to notable outcomes, including open champion Braden Peiser placing third among junior men.
Tyler Wee of North Carolina took the junior men's title with matching 589s for an 1178 total, narrowly besting Griffin Lake by a single point (1177). Braden Peiser’s 1174 total placed him four points behind Wee, securing third in the junior men’s category.
For the junior women, Ashlyn Blake clinched the title with an 1172 total, achieving her win with a strong comeback. Karlie Lynn initially led after the first match with a 588 and maintained her lead through four series of the second match. However, a pair of 93s in her closing series dropped her to an 1169 total. Elizabeth Probst matched Lynn’s 1169 and secured second place on a tiebreak. Blake, who started with a 585, closed her second match with six series between 97 and 99 for a 587, ultimately moving past both competitors to claim the top spot. Carlee Valenta finished a single point off the podium at 1168.
The results from this USA Shooting Fall Selection Match are critical, as they feed directly into USA Shooting’s athlete selection process, contributing points towards national team rankings and future international nominations. The smallbore competition was part of a broader Fall Selection Match that commenced on August 19, with the 2026 Shotgun Selection Match at Fort Carson kicking off on August 28.
