INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Jacksonville State senior Mackenzie Van Patten was selected as an individual competitor in the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championships, announced by the NCAA Rifle Selection Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

Mackenzie was selected as one of the four individuals to aim for the NCAA Air Rifle Championship. The NCAA Rifle Championships will be hosted by the United States Air Force Academy on March 11-12. Van Patten is joined by Andre Gross from Akron, Angeline Henry of Memphis and Ohio State's Derek Keiser.

The Nampa, Idaho native averaged a 592 on the season in air rifle and turned in a 590 or better in 11 of the 13 matches this season. Her individual selection was bolstered by her last two outings. Van Patten fired a season-best 596 at the Gamecock Rifle Range against UAB on Feb. 16. She added a 595 last Saturday in the NCAA Qualifier match at Ole Miss.

She becomes the first individual Gamecock to earn an NCAA bid since Brandon Muske competed as an individual in the smallbore portion of the 2017 NCAA Rifle Championships. Van Patten will try to become the second Gamecock to win an NCAA individual crown in air rifle and the third Gamecock to win the individual title. JSU's Michael Dickinson claimed the 2007 NCAA Air Rifle championship and Brian Carstensen took home the 2009 NCAA Smallbore Individual title.

Air Force, Alaska Fairbanks, Kentucky, Murray State, Navy, Ole Miss, TCU and West Virginia were the eight teams selected to compete in the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championships.