The University of Mississippi Athletics
Target: The NCAAs
11/11/2002 | Rifle
Nov. 11, 2002
By Chris Purser
Sports Information Student Assistant
As any head coach will tell you, there is no "I" in team. No matter the sport, the good of the team outweighs the needs of the individual. So, it is no surprise that this year's rifle team, led by an influx of underclassmen, has one goal in mind - making it to the NCAA Championships.
"We want to go to the NCAAs," said freshman Megan Sandage. "That is our primary team goal, and that's our focus this entire season."
Rifle is a sport where individual performances often take the spotlight over the team's, so it may be a little surprising that this youthful group has its focus on the team's success. While experience is a virtue, youth has proven to be a common thread throughout the Ole Miss rifle program's history. According to Rebel head coach Valerie Boothe, the youth movement is something that comes with each and every season.
"Generally, we don't have a large group of upperclassmen," said Boothe. "We only have one or two seniors a year, so we have to rely on the younger members of the team."
Such is the case with this year's squad. The team is composed of one senior, one junior, two sophomores, and three freshmen. Despite the team's overall youth, the team is off to a good start in 2002-03. The Rebels won their first competition Sept. 28, defeating two teams from TCU and a squad from Birmingham Southern at home. The early-season victories were pleasant surprises since the past years have shown the squad gets stronger toward at the end of the campaign.
"Most of our home matches are early in the season, and we usually aren't hitting our peak at that time," Boothe said. "We get better as the season progresses."
While the early-season wins are great, it is not ultimate prize the Rebels are looking for. In order to reach the NCAAs, Boothe and her team understand that they must improve their shooting skills as well as their focus.
"Rifle is a sport that is 90 to 95 percent mental," Boothe said. "We have incorporated special mental training in our workouts to help maintain that focus."
Leading the way for this year's squad is sophomore Shanda Duval, who was the team's top performer in 2001-02. The Oakville, Wash., native posted a team-best average of 380 (out of 400) in air rifle. Duval appears to have picked up right where she left off last year, shooting a 380 in the first match of the season. While that score was a solid start to the season, Duval believes there is work that still needs to be done.
"That score was OK," Duval said. "I have shot a lot better than that in the past. If I want to become an All-American, I have to continue to get better."
Along with Duval, Sandage is also helping lead the Rebels' youth movement. Competing in her first collegiate match Sept. 28, the Sutter, Calif., native posted the top individual score in air rifle, shooting a 385. While Sandage is determined to help the team reach its goals, she does admit she has a personal one of her own this year.
"I would like to earn All-America honors, and to do that, I need to have an average score of 386," Sandage said.
Individuals can advance to the NCAA Championships - although it is difficult to do, according to Boothe - with a chance to earn All-America distinction, but Sandage and Duval want to go to the NCAAs as a team.
"It's better to make the NCAAs as a team," Sandage said. "If you have a bad day, you have someone there to back you up."
Only eight teams from across the nation can qualify for the NCAA Championships, and in the program's young history, Ole Miss has not earned an NCAA spot. However, this could be the Rebels' year. Boothe sees this year's team as one of the more determined squads she has had since arriving at Ole Miss seven years ago.
"That (reaching the NCAAs) is our main goal this year," Booth said. "We want to be in New York competing at season's end."
