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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Announces Change in Rifle Leadership
3/22/2016 | Rifle
OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss will begin a search for a new rifle coach, as Valerie Boothe will not return as the Rebels' head coach, Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork announced Tuesday.
"Valerie built this program from the ground up and provided caring leadership for our student-athletes over the past two decades," Bjork said. "We want to thank her for her dedication to our program, and we wish her and her family the very best."
"It's been a pleasure and an honor to be part of the Ole Miss family," Boothe said. "This has been an amazing opportunity to work with outstanding people and athletes. I am grateful for all this department has done for me. I wish the team and the program many years of continued success. My family and I will always be cheering."
The only coach in program history, Boothe recently completed her 20th season at the helm. She guided the team to its most successful season in 2005-06, when the Rebels earned their first appearance in the NCAA Championships and attained the program's first NCAA sectional victory. It was Ole Miss' only postseason appearance under Boothe.
"In a thorough evaluation of the program, we felt a change was necessary to reach a position of national competitiveness in this unique sport," said Bjork. "We have one of the premier college rifle facilities in the nation with the Patricia C. Lamar National Guard Readiness Center. Couple this with the incredible momentum we are experiencing at Ole Miss, and we believe this is an extremely attractive position. We will begin a national search immediately."
The 2006 National Coach of the Year, Boothe helped several individuals to a variety of accolades throughout her career. Most recently, junior Alison Weisz earned a bronze medal in air rifle at the NCAA Championships earlier this month. She became the fifth All-American in program history.
In the classroom, Boothe's teams produced 18 Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Scholar All-America honors.
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissRifle, on Facebook at OleMissRifle and on Instagram @OleMissRifle.
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