Team USA Roster Announced: 2026 IPRF World Championship 

After an 18-month qualification process across some of the most competitive precision rifle matches in the country, the official Team USA roster for the 2026 IPRF Centerfire World Championship has now been finalized.

This post serves as the official announcement of the shooters who earned a spot to represent the United States on the world stage.

There are a lot of great shooters in the PRS. But this list is different.

To qualify, shooters had to put together results from at least 6 top-level matches designated as qualifier matches, spread across:

• Different regions of the country
• A PRS Pro Series Season Finale
• And matches designed by a wide range of match directors, each testing shooters in different ways

No two matches are the same. Different terrain. Different props. Different stage design philosophies.

That meant competitors couldn’t rely on familiarity or a single type of match. They had to prove they could adapt and perform in a wide range of conditions, against the deepest fields in the sport.

By the end of the qualification period, there was nowhere to hide.

In short, this process selected the shooters who can show up anywhere in the world, under any conditions, and compete at the highest level.

And the names below represent exactly that.

🏆 Open Division (6 Shooters)

The Open Division is the deepest, most competitive field in precision rifle shooting. These are the guys you see at the top of PRS leaderboards year after year.

To earn one of these six spots, you didn’t just have to be good … you had to be world-class at every qualifier match you attended for a year and a half straight.

1. Clay Blackketter (Avg Match Score = 98.6%)
2. Morgun King (Avg Match Score = 97.9%)
3. Austin Buschman (Avg Match Score = 97.8%, won 2022 and 2024 IPRF World Championships)
4. Francis Colon (Avg Match Score = 97.5%)
5. Jeff Guerry (Avg Match Score = 95.9%)
6. Chris Kutalek (Avg Match Score = 95.7%)

There are a lot of great shooters in the PRS, but this group has separated themselves as the most consistent performers in the country over an extended period of time.

Here is something Clay Blackketter once told me about consistency:

“There are hundreds of PRS shooters who could win a one-day match. There are probably 30 who could win a two-day PRS Pro match. But there may only be about 5 or 6 who could win a national-level match if we shot 3 days or more.” – Clay Blackketter, 2019 PRS Champ

Over time, and over enough rounds, the best shooters separate themselves. It stops being about who gets hot and starts being about true skill and who can sustain elite performance.

That’s what it takes to represent Team USA in the Open Division.

Limited & Factory Divisions (4 Shooters Each)

Limited eligibility: All qualifying scores had to be shot using a .308 Winchester in the PRS Tactical Division.

Factory eligibility: All qualifying scores had to be shot using a PRS Production rifle in the Production Division or with an IPRF-approved Factory rifle.

The selection process for both the limited and factory divisions also defined a minimum score threshold that had to be reached in terms of total points of your qualifying matches:

• Limited Division = 470 minimum score threshold
• Factory Division = 515 minimum score threshold

There were a few shooters in each division that met that threshold, but not all of the spots were filled that way. Any spots not filled on the Limited or Factory teams were filled by the next highest Open Division shooter.

Limited Division

• Chad Heckler (Total = 502.7)
• Joe Thielen (Total = 493.8)
• Austin Orgain (qualified through Open)
• Kyle McCormack (qualified through Open)

Factory Division

• Matt Caruso (Total = 573.5)
• Keith Rudasill (Total = 559.9)
• Dan Bertocchini (Total = 520.5)
• Jason Aulwes (qualified through Open)

To fill the two open spots in the Limited Division and one in the Factory Division, the selection process went to the next-highest-ranked shooters in the Open Division:

• Austin Orgain was the 7th-place shooter from the Open Division, and he chose to shoot a 308 as the 3rd member of the Limited Team.
• Nathan Toungate was the 8th-place shooter from the Open Division, but had to withdraw his name for personal reasons.
• Kyle McCormack was the 9th-place shooter from the Open Division, and he also chose to shoot a 308 as the 4th member of the Limited Team.
• Corson Piper was the 10th-place shooter from the Open Division, but he also withdrew his name.
• Dale Rhoads was the 11th-place shooter from the Open Division, but Dale also qualified in the Senior Division and preferred to compete in that division.
• Jason Aulwes was the next applicant with the highest points in the Open Division, and he filled the 4th spot in the Factory Division.

Other Divisions (4 Shooters Each)

Each of these divisions required the same level of commitment, travel, and consistency within their category. Earning a spot here is just as meaningful.

Senior Division

• Rusty Ulmer (Total = 566.4)
• Dale Rhoads (Total = 559.3)
• Lee Pettross (Total = 539.3)
• Allen Ernst (Total = 507.4)

Military/Law Enforcement

• Kahl Harmon (Total = 497.8)
• Hunter Zweirs (Total = 458.9)
• Steve Mc (Total = 453.8)
• Logan McGinnis (Total = 446.6)

Junior Division

• Gage Caples (Total = 486.1)
• Hunter Neal (Total = 463.1)
• Dylan Bailey (Total = 460.3)
• Reagan Stahmer (Total = 459.2)

Ladies Division

• Kate Estes (Total = 452.5)
• Lauryl Akenhead (Total = 441.5)
• Grace Vaughn (Total = 440.7)
• Payton Grimes (Total = 330.2)

2026 IPRF World Championship Event Details

The 2026 IPRF Centerfire World Championship will be held:

September 24–27, 2026, at Gravestone Precision Shooting Range near Lipan, Texas

The range is just outside the DFW metroplex, roughly an hour west of Fort Worth. It is a relatively new venue but has already earned a reputation as a world-class facility with a wide variety of props, target presentations, and terrain.

The shooting competition will span 4 days. Each team will shoot 2 of the 4 days, and have a rest day between. Each competitor will shoot approximately 200 rounds across 20 stages total.

Date	Events
9/22/26	Vendor Fair, Vendor Demonstrations, Registration (12-5)
9/23/26	Vendor Fair, Vendor Demonstrations, Registration (7-4) + Opening Cermony (planned to start between 4:30 and 5:30)
9/24/26	Competition Day 1 (7-4) + Beer Garden (after last shots fired to 8pm)
9/25/26	Competition Day 2 (7-4) + Beer Garden (after last shots fired to 8pm)
9/26/26	Competition Day 3 (7-4) + Beer Garden (after last shots fired to 8pm)
9/27/26	Competition Day 4 (7-4) + Beer Garden (after last shots fired to 8pm)
9/28/26	Shoot-Offs (8-10) + Closing Ceremony (11-1)

Spectators are welcome to come out and watch the best shooters in the world compete on the biggest stage!

To learn more about the match and related events, visit: https://usprecisionrifle.org/2026-world-championship-1

How to Follow the Match Live

If you can’t attend in-person but want to follow along in real-time, there are some exciting options this year:

• Live scoring will be available through Impact Scoring
• PRS Owner/Director Ken Wheeler will be onsite providing live commentary and video throughout all 4 days of the match directly on Impact Scoring

That alone is a big step forward for the sport. Being able to watch scores update live and hear insight from one of the most experienced voices in the precision rifle scene should make this one of the most engaging World Championships yet.

🔥 Final Thoughts

There are a lot of very talented shooters in this sport, but making Team USA is different.

It means you didn’t just win once. You didn’t just get hot for a weekend. You showed up, over and over again, at the highest level … and performed.

That’s what this team represents.

The United States is sending a stacked roster to the 2026 World Championship, and it’s going to be exciting to watch how they perform on the world stage.

Congratulations to every shooter who earned a spot! What an accomplishment!