Army West Point Athletics
Julianna Hays Named Rifle Assistant Coach
June 10, 2026 | Rifle
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point rifle head coach Leighton Dempster-Matey has announced the hiring of collegiate standout Julianna Hays as the program's new assistant coach. Hays arrives at West Point following a decorated shooting career spent at Ole Miss and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Julianna to the Army West Point family," Dempster-Matey said. "Her experience competing at the highest levels of collegiate rifle, combined with her leadership across two elite programs in the NCAA, makes her an incredible asset to our cadet-athletes. She knows exactly what it takes to perform at a championship level, and her technical expertise will make an immediate impact on our range."
Hays spent her final collegiate season as a senior with the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks during the 2025-26 campaign, where she was a cornerstone of the lineup. Competing in 13 matches, she showcased remarkable consistency by posting scores of 590 or higher in Air Rifle nine times and eclipsing 585 in Smallbore in six appearances.
Her senior season was highlighted by a spectacular mid-January weekend at TVSA against national powerhouses Kentucky and Nebraska, where she set a lifetime personal best in Smallbore (593) on January 17, and followed it up by matching her career-high in Air Rifle (595) the very next day.
Prior to her time in Fairbanks, Hays put together a stellar career at Ole Miss. As a freshman, she burst onto the collegiate scene by earning All-GARC Smallbore First Team honors while averaging a 583.3, helping guide the Rebels to an NCAA Championship appearance. She sustained that elite level of production as a sophomore, competing in 11 matches and setting a career-high aggregate score of 1,186 during a match at Kentucky in November 2023, while pushing Ole Miss to its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance.
Before launching her collegiate career, the Maplewood, Minn. native excelled on both the national and international stages. She represented the United States at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru, and was crowned the Minnesota Junior Olympic Champion in both Smallbore and Air Rifle. Additionally, she demonstrated early leadership capabilities as a three-year captain for the Minnesota Centershots, leading her club team to multiple state championships.
Career Personal Bests
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Julianna to the Army West Point family," Dempster-Matey said. "Her experience competing at the highest levels of collegiate rifle, combined with her leadership across two elite programs in the NCAA, makes her an incredible asset to our cadet-athletes. She knows exactly what it takes to perform at a championship level, and her technical expertise will make an immediate impact on our range."
Hays spent her final collegiate season as a senior with the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks during the 2025-26 campaign, where she was a cornerstone of the lineup. Competing in 13 matches, she showcased remarkable consistency by posting scores of 590 or higher in Air Rifle nine times and eclipsing 585 in Smallbore in six appearances.
Her senior season was highlighted by a spectacular mid-January weekend at TVSA against national powerhouses Kentucky and Nebraska, where she set a lifetime personal best in Smallbore (593) on January 17, and followed it up by matching her career-high in Air Rifle (595) the very next day.
Prior to her time in Fairbanks, Hays put together a stellar career at Ole Miss. As a freshman, she burst onto the collegiate scene by earning All-GARC Smallbore First Team honors while averaging a 583.3, helping guide the Rebels to an NCAA Championship appearance. She sustained that elite level of production as a sophomore, competing in 11 matches and setting a career-high aggregate score of 1,186 during a match at Kentucky in November 2023, while pushing Ole Miss to its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance.
Before launching her collegiate career, the Maplewood, Minn. native excelled on both the national and international stages. She represented the United States at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru, and was crowned the Minnesota Junior Olympic Champion in both Smallbore and Air Rifle. Additionally, she demonstrated early leadership capabilities as a three-year captain for the Minnesota Centershots, leading her club team to multiple state championships.
Career Personal Bests
- Air Rifle: 595 (2x, most recent: Jan. 18, 2026 vs. Kentucky/Nebraska)
- Smallbore: 593 (Jan. 17, 2026 vs. Kentucky/Nebraska)
- Aggregate: 1,186 (Nov. 4, 2023 at Kentucky)
At Alaska Fairbanks (2025-26 | Senior
- Appeared in 13 matches for the Nanooks, firing a season-high 1,184 aggregate score on Oct. 17, 2025, against Ohio State.
- Shot a 590+ in Air Rifle in nine matches and a 585+ in Smallbore in six matches.
At Ole Miss (2022-24)
- Earned All-GARC Smallbore First Team honors as a freshman with a 583.3 average.
- Competed in 11 matches as a sophomore, setting then-career marks of 592 (Smallbore), 595 (Air Rifle), and 1,186 (Aggregate).
- Helped lead the Rebels to multiple NCAA Championship appearances.
International/Junior Highlights
- Represented Team USA at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship (Lima, Peru).
- Minnesota Junior Olympic Champion in both Smallbore and Air Rifle.
- Three-year captain for the multi-time state champion Minnesota Centershots.
Wednesday, May 27
Saturday, May 23
Monday, May 11
Thursday, April 30