Arguably the most accomplished athlete currently at WVU, air and smallbore rifle shooter Mary Tucker will be shooting for gold this Olympics, this time as a Mountaineer.
2024 will be Tucker’s second Olympic Games, as she competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She was on Team USA’s two-person mixed team that won the silver medal in the 10m air rifle.
In those Olympic Games, though, Tucker was in a different stage of her legacy. In 2021, Tucker had just finished her second collegiate season with Kentucky, and despite representing the U.S. and the Wildcats in Tokyo, that next season would be her last.
Aside from her ISSF World Cup appearance a few months prior, where she won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle, Tokyo was Tucker’s first opportunity to compete globally. Reaching that point was never truly a doubt, though, as when Tucker entered the collegiate shooting scene, her talent was immediately recognized as something different.
As a freshman at Kentucky, Tucker burst on the scene to win not just the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association and Great American Rifle Conference Rookie of the Year awards, but both organizations’ Shooter of the Year Award. In her first season, Tucker placed second in smallbore rifle, third in air rifle, and first overall at the GARC Championships. Tucker dominated instantly, shooting seven of the NCAA’s nine aggregate scores at or above 1190.
Moving into her sophomore and junior seasons, Tucker’s success only grew, as she kept CRCA and GARC awards, this time winning the Athlete of the Year as opposed to Shooter of the Year. More importantly, though, Tucker became the National Champion in smallbore, air rifle, and overall shooting while leading Kentucky to an NCAA team title.
Now at the top of collegiate rifle, Tucker made her first Olympic appearance and succeeded. After her silver medal performance, Tucker went back to Kentucky to go for another national title, which she won as an individual in the overall category and as a team. Tucker placed second in the air rifle and smallbore events individually.
Despite plenty of success as a Wildcat, though, Tucker was not as happy as she could be at Kentucky. The stress and mental toll of competing at that high of a level began to weigh on Tucker, and, as she recalls, much of that reason had to do with the university she competed on behalf of.
“I didn’t take a break, and the team dynamics there were not great. All of the focus was on shooting, and little else,” Tucker said.
At that point, Tucker knew it would not be healthy to remain at Kentucky, so she transferred, opting to compete for what is historically the greatest NCAA rifle program of all-time at West Virginia.
The Mountaineers were an instant fit for Tucker, who allowed herself to take a short break for the first time after leaving Kentucky. The Morgantown atmosphere made a massive impact on Tucker, allowing her to succeed in shooting but also in other aspects of her life.
“It’s a real family,” Tucker said, “and there is as much attention paid to things outside of rifle as there is to the sport.”
“Everyone here, the trainers, the sports psychologist, all of the staff, are so good. They recognize the difference in individuals, and that the same approach might not be good for everyone.”
With the nature of Tucker’s new environment at WVU, her success continued. As a senior, Tucker was named the CRCA and GARC’s Shooter of the Year and Senior of the Year and quickly etched her name in WVU history by becoming the seventh Mountaineer ever to shoot a perfect 600 when she did so at the NCAA Qualifier.
Tucker and WVU would place fifth overall as a team at the NCAA Championships and win the GARC Championships. In Tucker’s most recent season, the fifth year senior was once again the CRCA’s Most Valuable Shooter, as she took home the NCAA Smallbore Individual National Champion title ahead of the Olympic Games.
Now, in a better place mentally and still at the peak of her shooting powers, Mary Tucker is set to represent Team USA once again in the Olympics, but this time she will also be representing the school and team that elevated her life in the past two years.
Mary Tucker will begin competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26 at 3 a.m. for pre-event training ahead of the mixed team competition at 3 a.m. the following day. Tucker will compete as an individual in the air rifle at 3:30 a.m. on July 29. All events can be streamed on the NBC Olympics app or on Peacock.
Photo from WVU Rifle
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