Big Ten Looking At Some Of The Obscure Varsity Sports

When I did a preview of Big Ten women’s sports last summer, I was intrigued by some of the varsity sports that some athletic departments supported. I can see all of the following as being club sports at nearly any university, but a varsity sport? That merits a look, so let’s take a shallow dive into what I’m talking about.

Women’s Bowling – Nebraska

Cornhusker’s women’s bowling was founded in 1983 as a club sport, and became a varsity in 1997. Nebraska has been in NCAA tournament 21 seasons in a row and won 11 national championships. Operates as an independent. Season runs Oct-Feb, NCAA tourney in April.

Pistol

Ohio State is the only Big Ten university that has Pistol as a varsity sport, and both men and women are represented. The season for Pistol runs from October to early March, with the NCAA tournament being in the middle of March.

Rather than try and explain how the competitions work, here is a handy chart of the basics of Pistol competition:

The Buckeyes dominate the pistol competitions, and have won the national championship for the past five years in a row. In the 2025t championship, Ohio State scored 4476, followed by Navy (4350), Army (4325), Utah (4285), and The Citadel (4213).

Rifle

Ohio State is the only B1G school represented in Men’s Rifle, while both OSU and Nebraska field varsity Women’s Rifle teams. 28 rifle teams compete in the NCAA. Their schedule runs from October to February, and the NCAA qualifiers begin in the middle of February. Last season, OSU placed 13th in the national rankings, while Nebraska placed 11th.

Here is a rundown of some of the basic rules of NCAA rifle:

Shooters use .22 caliber rifles, firing 20 shots in each of the three positions (prone, kneeling, and standing) at 50 feet.

Shooters use .177 caliber rifles, firing 60 shots in the standing position at 10 meters.

Only single-shot, manually loaded rifles are permitted, and they cannot be changed between rounds. Shooters can use accessories like buttstocks, but the rifle cannot exceed 8 kg.

Scores are based on the accuracy of each shot, with a perfect score of 10.9 in each discipline.

Strict safety rules are in place, including the use of safety flags and ensuring rifles are pointed downrange in a safe direction.

Rules also cover conduct during competition, with penalties for rule violations.

• Modifications For Disabilities:

Teams can request modifications to rules for athletes with disabilities, provided safety is not compromised.

The following is a 46 minute NCAA replay of this last season’s championship. You can get an idea from here on how a competition operates.

Fencing

Ohio State and Penn State participate in NCAA fencing. Men and women play the same schedule and the season runs from September to March. In the most recent final standings, Ohio State ranked 5th and Penn State ranked 8th.

Here is a rundown of the NCAA rules regarding fencing:

Individual competition

Format: Preliminary rounds are in pools, with bouts lasting up to three minutes or until five points are scored. Elimination rounds consist of three three-minute periods with one-minute breaks, and the first to 15 points wins.

Tie-breaking: A one-minute sudden-death priority round determines the winner if the score is tied at the end of regulation time. Priority is decided by a coin toss before the tiebreak.

Target areas and scoring:

• Foil: Valid target area is the torso, requiring a touch from the blade’s tip with enough force to depress the point.
• Saber: Touches can be scored with the blade’s edge or tip on the body from the hips to the head, including arms and mask.
• Epee: The entire body is a valid target area, with touches scored only by the blade’s tip.

Right-of-way (Foil and Saber): Only one fencer can score in Foil and Saber. If both land a touch simultaneously, the referee determines who had priority based on factors like initiating the attack or parrying.

No Right-of-Way (Epee): If both fencers land a touch simultaneously in Epee, both score a point.

Team competition

Format: Squads of three fencers compete in a “relay match,” with each fencer facing every fencer from the opposing team in a series of nine bouts. Each bout lasts three minutes or until a team reaches a multiple of five touches.

Scoring: The first team to reach 45 points, or the team with the higher score when time expires, wins.

Tie-breaking: A one-minute sudden-death tiebreak is fenced by the fencers from the last bout if scores are tied after nine bouts. The rules mirror individual tiebreak rules, with priority decided by a coin toss.

Equipment and penalties

• All equipment must meet United States Fencing Association standards and NCAA logo rules and be checked by an armorer before competition.
• Penalties for rule infractions are assessed using a system of yellow, red, and black cards, depending on the severity.