The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
GARC Championship
Weisz Takes Second in Air Rifle at GARC Championships
2/26/2017 | Rifle
AKRON, Ohio -- Ole Miss junior Alison Weisz had a memorable performance at the GARC Championships this weekend. The All-American finished second in air rifle at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletic Field House on the campus of Akron University to lead the Rebels in their final team competition of the 2016-17 season.
Weisz earned her second consecutive top-three finish in air rifle at the GARC Championships. As a team, the Rebels finished eighth with an aggregate of 4624.
West Virginia won the title for the eighth year in a row with a 4725 aggregate. Nebraska posted a 4679 for second and Kentucky finished third at 4667.
Recapping the Championships
In smallbore, the Rebels posted a 2286 a result of sophomore Harley Gardner's 577, which tied for 16th place individually. Freshman Alana Kelly posted a 571 and junior Jessica Haig shot just one point behind Kelly, tallying a 570.
Last year, Weisz also shot a 595 in air rifle to qualify for the finals and finished in third place. This year, Weisz stood to-toe-to with Olympic Gold medalist Ginny Thrasher in the finals, before finishing second by just 1.5 points with a 196. This marked the third time this season for Weisz to post a 595 and contributed to her 1163 aggregate for the competition. Haig followed Weisz with a 583, and freshman Hayley Carroll shot a 582.
SMALLBORE RESULTS
Harley Gardner 577
Alana Kelly 571
Jessica Haig 570
Alison Weisz 568
TOTAL 2286
AIR RIFLE RESULTS
Alison Weisz 595
Jessica Haig 583
Hayley Carroll 582
Harley Gardner 578
TOTAL 2338
COMBINED RESULTS
West Virginia 4725
Nebraska 4679
Kentucky 4667
NC State 4660
Army 4649
Akron 4630
Memphis 4629
Ole Miss 4624
Navy 4621
GARC Awards
Prior to the competition starting, the annual GARC Awards were handed out at the banquet Thursday night and both senior Alison Weisz and junior Jessica Haig were recognized for their accomplishments throughout the season.
Weisz walked away with second team all-conference in air rifle with a 592 season average. She posted a career-high and school-record 597 against Nebraska in the fall. Weisz also earned honorable mention honors in combined aggregate with a season average of 1167. In addition to shooting her way to the top of the team on the range, Weisz was recognized as a scholar-athlete.
Haig earned honorable mention in air rifle as she totaled a 587 average for the season. Haig's best air performance took place in January against NC State as she shot a 594, matching her previous career-high shot at the GARC Championships last season.
Marsha's Minute
"Ali performed exceptionally well in air. She was so solid with lots of very deep shots," Beasley said. "She stayed with 2016 NCAA Champion and Rio Olympic gold medalist, Ginny Thrasher, until the very end. It was fun to watch, and an impressive performance."
"Air has been going well for us in the past, but as a whole, our air rifle scores were down this weekend and I'm puzzled as to why that was," Beasley said. "Akron did a great job hosting these championships and we are very thankful to them for that. This was a great place to shoot and a good experience for our team."
Senior Alison Weisz on her second-place finish
"I am so proud of everyone on the team and grateful everyone qualified for this match. It's a very different layout of competition so there were definitely some things to overcome. Overall, I think we all did our best, and I really enjoyed the weekend. I am honored to be able to come away with an award in my final conference championships. I wish the best for the team and our coaches in the years to come, I fully believe in them and know they will continue to raise the bar and succeed."
Up Next
As the 2016-17 season came to an end this weekend for many shooters, Weisz has one more match to go as she will compete in air rifle in the NCAA Championships March 10-11 in Columbus, Ohio hosted by Ohio State University.
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissRifle, on Facebook at OleMissRifle and on Instagram @OleMissRifle.
