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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Abby Buesseler readies her shot Saturday, Oct. 27 against Kentucky.
Identical Twins Bond Through Rifle
11/15/2018 | Rifle
Abby and Dana Buesseler compete against each other for first time collegiately
MURRAY, Ky. – Sophomore rifle athletes Abby and Dana Buesseler are more than alike. They are identical – identical twins to be exact. Saturday, Nov. 17 marks the first time the pair will go toe-to-toe at the collegiate level as No. 11 Ole Miss travels to the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range to face No. 5 Murray State. Abby is a Rebel, Dana a Racer.
Both are major contributors for their teams and their sport as a whole. Their career bests illustrate that they are evenly matched as well. Dana leads slightly in smallbore, 584-581, while Abby edges in air rifle, 594-591, and age – by one minute.
A competitive spirit was forged during the two's childhoods growing up in Minnesota. A firing lane was constructed in the family shed.
"If Abby was out in the shed training I didn't want her to get that much better than me," Dana said. "I had to get out there … I want to see her succeed but I want to stay up there with her."
"It was fun to keep pushing each other too, because you always have that person that matches you and it drives you to do better," Abby said.
Abby and Dana entered the sport in the fifth grade and eventually joined the Minnesota Centershots Rifle team. Ole Miss sophomore Kamilla Kisch teamed up with the twins and the trio combined for several national championships. The club team readied Abby and Dana, and classmate Kamilla, for collegiate competition.
A pact was created that took pressure off the college search. An agreement was made that whatever school each picked the other would support, even if that meant choosing separate paths.
"We really wanted to experience the same things and have those memories together, but I knew I kind of wanted to be an individual, and I think Abby felt that way too," Dana said.
Dana, an Engineering Physics major, was drawn to Murray State's strong math and engineering programs as well as the small, homey campus feel. Abby wanted to pursue a Biology degree in Mississippi because of the team environment she experienced and the state-of-the-art Ole Miss Rifle Range. Both are satisfied with their sibling's decision.
Over the past couple seasons, Murray State has used the Ole Miss Rifle Range to compete against schools other than Ole Miss. This will change on Saturday in Kentucky. The duo has also followed the other's maturity with great interest.
"With the college level we have different attitudes, a different focus," Dana said. "It's very interesting to see how the Ole Miss coaching has shaped her into an athlete. And I'm sure it's interesting for Abby to see how Murray State has shaped me into an athlete too."
"As things change it's always fun to see how Dana prepares for her match, how she shoots it, how things have changed for her," Abby said. "Because things have changed a lot for me too. It's just fun to see where we have gone from where it used to look like."
When the two meet again, there is guaranteed to be a long, heartfelt embrace. Abby claims the two hugged for more than five minutes when they first reunited in college.
"Dana's hugs are unlike anything else because it's the same exact person," Abby said. "It's like hugging yourself … It's just a little piece of home and it just feels so good."
The Buesselers are proud of how they have been able to juggle tough classes and perform at their best on the range. Dana was named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2017-18 while Abby earned a spot on the Chancellor's and Dean's lists her freshman year.
They credit their success to a hard work ethic and lessons instilled by their parents.
"I love what we have as far as competing goes because we're just so supportive and our parents were a big factor in that when we were younger to you know 'not rub it in your face, be grateful that you did well and always encourage the other one'," Dana said.
"We probably would have been more competitive with each other and had a little smack talk here and there if they hadn't supported us," Abby said. "You know she's your sister and you have to be supportive all through childhood. Their support was a big factor in getting us to where we are, and we're so thankful for that."
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle), and at olemisssports.com.
Both are major contributors for their teams and their sport as a whole. Their career bests illustrate that they are evenly matched as well. Dana leads slightly in smallbore, 584-581, while Abby edges in air rifle, 594-591, and age – by one minute.
A competitive spirit was forged during the two's childhoods growing up in Minnesota. A firing lane was constructed in the family shed.
"If Abby was out in the shed training I didn't want her to get that much better than me," Dana said. "I had to get out there … I want to see her succeed but I want to stay up there with her."
"It was fun to keep pushing each other too, because you always have that person that matches you and it drives you to do better," Abby said.
Abby and Dana entered the sport in the fifth grade and eventually joined the Minnesota Centershots Rifle team. Ole Miss sophomore Kamilla Kisch teamed up with the twins and the trio combined for several national championships. The club team readied Abby and Dana, and classmate Kamilla, for collegiate competition.
A pact was created that took pressure off the college search. An agreement was made that whatever school each picked the other would support, even if that meant choosing separate paths.
"We really wanted to experience the same things and have those memories together, but I knew I kind of wanted to be an individual, and I think Abby felt that way too," Dana said.
Dana, an Engineering Physics major, was drawn to Murray State's strong math and engineering programs as well as the small, homey campus feel. Abby wanted to pursue a Biology degree in Mississippi because of the team environment she experienced and the state-of-the-art Ole Miss Rifle Range. Both are satisfied with their sibling's decision.
Over the past couple seasons, Murray State has used the Ole Miss Rifle Range to compete against schools other than Ole Miss. This will change on Saturday in Kentucky. The duo has also followed the other's maturity with great interest.
"With the college level we have different attitudes, a different focus," Dana said. "It's very interesting to see how the Ole Miss coaching has shaped her into an athlete. And I'm sure it's interesting for Abby to see how Murray State has shaped me into an athlete too."
"As things change it's always fun to see how Dana prepares for her match, how she shoots it, how things have changed for her," Abby said. "Because things have changed a lot for me too. It's just fun to see where we have gone from where it used to look like."
When the two meet again, there is guaranteed to be a long, heartfelt embrace. Abby claims the two hugged for more than five minutes when they first reunited in college.
"Dana's hugs are unlike anything else because it's the same exact person," Abby said. "It's like hugging yourself … It's just a little piece of home and it just feels so good."
The Buesselers are proud of how they have been able to juggle tough classes and perform at their best on the range. Dana was named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2017-18 while Abby earned a spot on the Chancellor's and Dean's lists her freshman year.
They credit their success to a hard work ethic and lessons instilled by their parents.
"I love what we have as far as competing goes because we're just so supportive and our parents were a big factor in that when we were younger to you know 'not rub it in your face, be grateful that you did well and always encourage the other one'," Dana said.
"We probably would have been more competitive with each other and had a little smack talk here and there if they hadn't supported us," Abby said. "You know she's your sister and you have to be supportive all through childhood. Their support was a big factor in getting us to where we are, and we're so thankful for that."
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle), and at olemisssports.com.
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