The University of Mississippi Athletics
Meet Freshman Nadia Hata
1/16/2015 | Rifle
By Kim Ling,
Associate Athletics Media Relations Director
Hawaii is a tropical paradise with lovely beaches and stunning sunsets. Anyone who has been there knows Hawaii is different, unique, special and unforgettable. Ole Miss rifle freshman Nadia Hata was born in Kaunakakai before moving to Honolulu at six months old.
How did Hata end up in Oxford, Mississippi? Her journey started one day while watching out the window of the family home as her sister practiced shooting in the backyard.
"My sister was involved in rifle, and I would watch her practice," Hata said. "I tried it and it stuck with me. I was in gymnastics, but I broke too many bones. I tried tennis, but wasn't good at it. I tried track and field, but I was only good at the jumping events. I was too slow."
Hata competed in rifle at Maryknoll High School and in various competitions around the islands. She was the Hawaii Girl's State Champion in 2013 and Smallbore Conventional Prone Regional Champion. In addition, Hata was the co-holder of the NRA National Record for Prone.
As a freshman in high school, Hata was at a competition in Ohio, when she first got the idea of possibly coming to Ole Miss.
"My coach told me about Ole Miss, after talking to Coach (Valerie) Boothe. I couldn't talk to her then, because I was just a freshman. He told me to look into it and so did my sister."
Hata's sister was a member of the rifle team at the University of Nevada-Reno, and encouraged her younger sibling to give it a try. It came down to Nevada and Ole Miss, and Hata chose Ole Miss.
"A lot of people I knew from Hawaii were going to Nevada," she said. "I wanted to try something new and do something different than what everyone else was doing."
Hata came to Ole Miss sight unseen. "I just winged it," she said, laughing."
She hasn't looked back since.
"It's been a really easy adjustment," Hata said. "It reminds me of home. Everybody here is so nice. It's been a lot of fun. I gave my mom a "Hotty Toddy" t-shirt, and she wore it back home. Someone noticed it on her and said "Hotty Toddy" to her. Turns out that person went to Ole Miss. It's a small world."
Despite the fact that the current Heisman Trophy winner is from Hawaii, Hata admits to not knowing that much about football or being that big a fan until she came here.
"It's a little different here, a lot more tradition that I've seen growing up," Hata said. "I like football now. It's pretty fun to go to the games. We were at a match during the Alabama game, so we had to watch it on our little screen, but it was so much fun. I had a great time at the Mississippi State game with my friends, and the game was so exciting."
Besides enjoying a few football games and getting used to her new rifle family, Hata enjoyed a successful first semester in the classroom. The biology major posted a 3.88 grade point average.
After a month break where she got to go back to paradise and see her family, Hata is back in the range with her teammates as they get set for the spring part of the season. The Rebels host No. 6 Kentucky Saturday and No. 16 NC State Sunday at the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center.
Admission to all home matches is free. Action begins Saturday at 8 a.m. and at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
