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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
NCAA Sectional
Ole Miss Rifle Wins NCAA Sectional
2/13/2006 | Rifle
Feb. 13, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss rifle team won its first ever NCAA sectional on Sunday at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center in Oxford. The Rebels posted a school-record score of 4666, and are almost assured of receiving one of the eight bids to the NCAA Championships, when they are handed out next week.
The Rebels defeated UAB, Jacksonville State, Tennessee Tech and Texas A&M en route to the victory. Ole Miss set a new school record with a team air rifle score of 2344, in addition to the aggregate record. They also fell just two points shy of the team smallbore record.
"I'm so proud of the team and their efforts," said Ole Miss head coach Valerie Boothe, who is the only head coach in Ole Miss rifle history. "They really deserve this success. We've worked very hard for this opportunity, and we finally put it all together."
Sophomore Shannon Wilson, who recently returned from competing with the USA national team, led the Rebels with a career-best score of 589 and placed second overall in the air rifle. That mark fell just one point shy of the school record held by Junior All-America Jennifer Lorenzen. Lorenzen turned in an outstanding performance as well, matching Wilson's score. Samantha Leach and Natasha Phillips placed fourth and fifth respectively, as Ole Miss had four of the top five finishes.
Senior Megan Sandage paced the Rebels' smallbore efforts. Her score of 583 placed her third overall and fell four points shy of the school record. Casey Phillips and Shannon Wilson turned in matching scores of 582, as the Rebels placed three shooters in the top six.
"We are performing at our best and at just the right time," said Boothe, who also serves on the NCAA rifle committee. "We are hosting the GARC (Great America Rifle Conference) Championships in two weeks, and that gives us another opportunity to compete with the best rifle programs in the country before hopefully going to the NCAA Championships."
Ole Miss hosts the GARC Championships at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center in Oxford, beginning on February 24. The championships include former national champions Army and West Virginia, as well as teams from Kentucky, Memphis, N.C. State, Nebraska and Xavier.
Ole Miss Agate
Team Aggregate 1. Ole Miss - 4666
Team Air Rifle 1. Ole Miss - 2344
Team Smallbore 1. Ole Miss - 2322
Individual Air Rifle 2. Shannon Wilson - 589 3. Jennifer Lorenzen - 589 4. Samantha Leach - 588 5. Natasha Phillips - 585 7. Megan Sandage - 581 10. Jessica Hornby - 577 12. Casey Phillips - 576 16. Mara Polonsky - 570 18. Natalie Coughlin - 562 20. Jessica McClain - 555 21. Pam Smith - 555
Individual Smallbore 3. Megan Sandage - 583 4. Casey Phillips - 582 5. Shannon Wilson - 582 9. Samantha Leach - 577 11. Jennifer Lorenzen - 574 12. Natasha Phillips - 574 13. Mara Polonsky - 572 17. Jessica Hornby - 564
