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The University of Mississippi Athletics
My Freshman Year with Ole Miss Rifle – Erin Walsh
5/29/2019 | Rifle
Gradual Improvement Led to Huge Contributions from Rebel Rookie
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss Rifle freshman Erin Walsh steadily improved over the course of the 2018-19 campaign. By the end of the season, she was a major contributor to the team's success.
Walsh, from Newark, Delaware, came to Ole Miss after qualifying for two National Junior Olympic Championships her junior and senior years at Delaware Military Academy.
That success quickly translated as a Rebel. Walsh proved she could be a key piece to Ole Miss' achievements when she fired a team-high 578 in smallbore as a non-counter against Navy on Oct. 21, 2018.
After the team returned to competition from the holiday break, Walsh cracked the starting lineup. She was a counter five times for air rifle and six times for smallbore during the final seven matches of the season.
Her career highs came during the crucial second half of the schedule as the race for NCAA qualification intensified. Walsh was the highest Ole Miss scorer for smallbore in four of those matches. She recorded career-best scores of 582 vs. Akron (Jan. 13) for smallbore, 1171 for aggregate at West Virginia (Jan. 20), and was the top overall air rifle shooter in a win against Nebraska (593, Feb. 2).
What helped Walsh be successful in her first collegiate season were the connections and growth Ole Miss and her team provided.
"One of the things that I've enjoyed so much about my Ole Miss experience has been the vast amounts of friends I've made on and off the range," Walsh said. "It's been cool to be able to connect with people from around the country who have similar interests as I do and it has been super interesting to come across many different kinds of people to help me challenge and grow my character."
The rifle freshman ended the season as the top Rebel at the Great American Rifle Conference Championships, Feb. 22-23. She finished tied for ninth in smallbore and tied for 14th in air rifle alongside the league's best.
The Biology major was named a CRCA Scholastic All-American to round out her accomplishments. She credits the support she has been given while in Oxford as a key to excelling on the range and in the classroom.
"I think the most surprising things about coming to school in Oxford was the large amounts of support that I've received from both faculty and the students," Walsh said. "I wasn't expecting everyone to be as nice as they have been and I was surprised to find out about all the group activities from things as simple as needing help in a class to groups for meeting new people just to have fun."
Walsh competed at the National Junior Olympic Championships yet again in April. She now looks to continue to improve while at Ole Miss and help the Rebels succeed in the process.
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle), and at olemisssports.com.
Walsh, from Newark, Delaware, came to Ole Miss after qualifying for two National Junior Olympic Championships her junior and senior years at Delaware Military Academy.
That success quickly translated as a Rebel. Walsh proved she could be a key piece to Ole Miss' achievements when she fired a team-high 578 in smallbore as a non-counter against Navy on Oct. 21, 2018.
After the team returned to competition from the holiday break, Walsh cracked the starting lineup. She was a counter five times for air rifle and six times for smallbore during the final seven matches of the season.
Her career highs came during the crucial second half of the schedule as the race for NCAA qualification intensified. Walsh was the highest Ole Miss scorer for smallbore in four of those matches. She recorded career-best scores of 582 vs. Akron (Jan. 13) for smallbore, 1171 for aggregate at West Virginia (Jan. 20), and was the top overall air rifle shooter in a win against Nebraska (593, Feb. 2).
What helped Walsh be successful in her first collegiate season were the connections and growth Ole Miss and her team provided.
"One of the things that I've enjoyed so much about my Ole Miss experience has been the vast amounts of friends I've made on and off the range," Walsh said. "It's been cool to be able to connect with people from around the country who have similar interests as I do and it has been super interesting to come across many different kinds of people to help me challenge and grow my character."
The rifle freshman ended the season as the top Rebel at the Great American Rifle Conference Championships, Feb. 22-23. She finished tied for ninth in smallbore and tied for 14th in air rifle alongside the league's best.
The Biology major was named a CRCA Scholastic All-American to round out her accomplishments. She credits the support she has been given while in Oxford as a key to excelling on the range and in the classroom.
"I think the most surprising things about coming to school in Oxford was the large amounts of support that I've received from both faculty and the students," Walsh said. "I wasn't expecting everyone to be as nice as they have been and I was surprised to find out about all the group activities from things as simple as needing help in a class to groups for meeting new people just to have fun."
Walsh competed at the National Junior Olympic Championships yet again in April. She now looks to continue to improve while at Ole Miss and help the Rebels succeed in the process.
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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