McGuffey’s Dunn selects Nebraska
It was not love at first “sight” when McGuffey’s Riley Dunn tried her hand at rifle shooting when she was 12 years old.
“At first, I absolutely hated it,” the senior Highlander said. “Once I started to get all the basics and fundamentals down, I grew to love it.”
Dunn, who is captain of the varsity rifle team at McGuffey, signed her national letter of intent on Nov. 10 to continue her academic and athletic careers at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
Dunn selected Nebraska over three other Division I schools in Ole Miss, Memphis and Akron
“What sold me on Nebraska was the academic major, the coaches and the team,” Dunn said. “It was a good-sized campus and I felt like this is where I will fit in the best.”
The travel time from home to Lincoln, Neb. is roughly 16 hours, but Dunn will have the opportunity to be around other athletes on an all-women’s rifle team that was sixth at last season’s NCAA rifle championships.
“It is nice to have people around that I can share something I love with,” Dunn said. “I could tell from my visit that the team treats each other like family. One of my best friends is also going to be on the team. She is from Fort Wayne, Ind. and we met through rifle competitions. We went on our official visit together.”
While Dunn will be taking her rifle career seriously, the National Honor Society member will be focused on her academic career, as she has aspirations of obtaining a federal job after earning her degree in criminal justice.
“I believe my best path to working a federal job will be at Nebraska,” Dunn said. “The program there is one of the best, and I will definitely be focused on achieving high marks in my studies.”
Dunn may not see her rifle career end in college, as she wouldn’t be opposed to shooting internationally.
Dunn also has some unfinished business left in her high school career, as she is a two-time defending WPIAL champion; and only the third student-athlete to win multiple WPIAL titles. She is eyeing a three-peat this year and hopes to earn a state title in her final high school season.
Dunn practices year-long and hones her skills at the Frazier-Simplex Junior Rifle Club in Washington.
“I have learned so much about rifle shooting from the club,” Dunn said. “The club is about 20 minutes from our home and my parents got me involved. I have been working at it since then.”
Dunn shot a perfect 300/300 match at the age of 15, which makes her the youngest person to shoot that score as part of the Pittsburgh & Suburban Rifle League. She is the 2023 NRA Jr. Air Rifle National Champion, the 2022 NRA Open Indoor Conventional Position Smallbore Rifle Women’s National Champion and the winner of the Sea Girt Trophy.
Dunn was one of 15 athletes in the country to be invited to the 2022 American Legion National Air Rifle Championship at the Olympic Training Center.
One discipline she needs to work on is pistol shooting, which she does solely for fun.
“I am definitely not any good at pistol shooting,” Dunn said. “It is different than the rifle with the way you have to position yourself. What they do is really impressive.”