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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Rifle Season in Review
3/27/2020 | Rifle
Remembering the Top-10 Moments and Accomplishments from 2019-20
OXFORD, Miss. – The 2019-20 season brought the Ole Miss Rifle program to new heights with incredible individual and team accomplishments. We look back at the top-10 moments highlighting a team on the rise.
Abby Buesseler Qualifies for the NCAA Rifle Championships
Junior Abby Buesseler was a leading force for the entirety of the season. Her consistency carried over into the NCAA Qualifier match where she qualified as an-at large individual for smallbore at the NCAA Rifle Championships. She finished 2019-20 with a smallbore season average of 582.3 and aggregate average of 1171.6, which were two of several school records she set.
Buesseler Named to Three All-America Teams
The Stacy, Minnesota, product's excellence was recognized by both the National Rifle Association and College Rifle Coaches Association. She was named First Team for smallbore by the NRA, and Second Team for smallbore and Third Team for aggregate by the CRCA. Buesseler finished as a top-10 shooter in the NRA smallbore rankings. The Great America Rifle Conference also noted her accomplishments as Second Team for both smallbore and combined as well as Honorable Mention for air rifle.
Rebel Alum Ali Weisz Earns Spot on U.S. Olympic Team
Years of hard work and dedication made Ole Miss Rifle alum Ali Weisz's dream of making the USA Shooting Team a reality as she claimed a spot on the women's air rifle roster for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Weisz finished second among the nation's best shooting athletes after two intense rounds of qualification and pair of finals. The 2017 Ole Miss graduate also took home Gold at last summer's Pan American Games and Silver at the Winter Airgun Championships.
Rebels Post Seven of the Top-10 Scores in Program History
Ole Miss was remarkably consistent as a team throughout. The Rebels tallied seven of the top-10 scores in school history as well as 10 of the top-15 totals. The scores ranged from 4666 to 4679 points.
Fans Break Attendance Mark
The Rebel home matches featured tremendous and constant support in 2019-20 as well. Fans helped set a new attendance record of 84 people per match. Four of the five matches saw at least 75 fans attend, including members of the Ole Miss Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC programs.
Outshooting West Virginia in Air Rifle and More Team Records
Ole Miss shot a program record 2372 in air rifle to obtain the third-highest total in school history at 4679. Buesseler broke the aggregate school record by three full points with an 1183 and tied the air rifle mark of 597. The Rebels outshot perennial powerhouse West Virginia in the opening event thanks in large part to Buesseler's 52 center shots.
Ole Miss Sets Program Mark in CRCA Poll
The Rebels spent the entire regular season inside the Top 10 of the CRCA Poll. It was yet another highwater mark as Ole Miss reached as high as No. 5, a new program best, for four weeks. The squad finished with strong national averages to maintain strong poll rankings, which included sixth in smallbore and aggregate as well as seventh in air rifle.
Kristen Derting Finishes Sixth at GARC Championships
Speaking of sixth, that is how freshman Kristen Derting finished in her first smallbore competition at the GARC Championships. The Salem, Oregon, native qualified for the eight-person finals with 582 points and proceeded to survive two rounds of elimination. It was the highest a Rebel had finished in the three-event discipline at the league championships since 2012. She fired a 197 kneeling in the event with an impressive streak of 19 consecutive 10s.
Lucas Named GARC Assistant Coach of the Year
Assistant coach Jean-Pierre Lucas received recognition by the league as the GARC Assistant Coach of the Year. It was his second such honor in three seasons, all while guiding the Rebels.
Rebels Excel Scholastically and Beyond
A trio of Rebel student-athletes went above and beyond in the classroom and with outside organizations. Buesseler was inducted into Mortar Board, an honor society recognizing college students for their exemplary scholarship, leadership and service. Junior Kamilla Kisch also became a member of Phi Kappa Phi, which celebrates students in a similar manner. Thirdly, Jillian Zakrzeski was named the Ole Miss Army ROTC Cadet of the Month for March thanks to her success in the organization and as a member of the Ole Miss Rifle team. Additionally, nine Rebels were commemorated as CRCA Scholastic All-Americans.
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle), and at olemisssports.com.
Abby Buesseler Qualifies for the NCAA Rifle Championships
Junior Abby Buesseler was a leading force for the entirety of the season. Her consistency carried over into the NCAA Qualifier match where she qualified as an-at large individual for smallbore at the NCAA Rifle Championships. She finished 2019-20 with a smallbore season average of 582.3 and aggregate average of 1171.6, which were two of several school records she set.
Buesseler Named to Three All-America Teams
The Stacy, Minnesota, product's excellence was recognized by both the National Rifle Association and College Rifle Coaches Association. She was named First Team for smallbore by the NRA, and Second Team for smallbore and Third Team for aggregate by the CRCA. Buesseler finished as a top-10 shooter in the NRA smallbore rankings. The Great America Rifle Conference also noted her accomplishments as Second Team for both smallbore and combined as well as Honorable Mention for air rifle.
Rebel Alum Ali Weisz Earns Spot on U.S. Olympic Team
Years of hard work and dedication made Ole Miss Rifle alum Ali Weisz's dream of making the USA Shooting Team a reality as she claimed a spot on the women's air rifle roster for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Weisz finished second among the nation's best shooting athletes after two intense rounds of qualification and pair of finals. The 2017 Ole Miss graduate also took home Gold at last summer's Pan American Games and Silver at the Winter Airgun Championships.
Rebels Post Seven of the Top-10 Scores in Program History
Ole Miss was remarkably consistent as a team throughout. The Rebels tallied seven of the top-10 scores in school history as well as 10 of the top-15 totals. The scores ranged from 4666 to 4679 points.
Fans Break Attendance Mark
The Rebel home matches featured tremendous and constant support in 2019-20 as well. Fans helped set a new attendance record of 84 people per match. Four of the five matches saw at least 75 fans attend, including members of the Ole Miss Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC programs.
Outshooting West Virginia in Air Rifle and More Team Records
Ole Miss shot a program record 2372 in air rifle to obtain the third-highest total in school history at 4679. Buesseler broke the aggregate school record by three full points with an 1183 and tied the air rifle mark of 597. The Rebels outshot perennial powerhouse West Virginia in the opening event thanks in large part to Buesseler's 52 center shots.
Ole Miss Sets Program Mark in CRCA Poll
The Rebels spent the entire regular season inside the Top 10 of the CRCA Poll. It was yet another highwater mark as Ole Miss reached as high as No. 5, a new program best, for four weeks. The squad finished with strong national averages to maintain strong poll rankings, which included sixth in smallbore and aggregate as well as seventh in air rifle.
Kristen Derting Finishes Sixth at GARC Championships
Speaking of sixth, that is how freshman Kristen Derting finished in her first smallbore competition at the GARC Championships. The Salem, Oregon, native qualified for the eight-person finals with 582 points and proceeded to survive two rounds of elimination. It was the highest a Rebel had finished in the three-event discipline at the league championships since 2012. She fired a 197 kneeling in the event with an impressive streak of 19 consecutive 10s.
Lucas Named GARC Assistant Coach of the Year
Assistant coach Jean-Pierre Lucas received recognition by the league as the GARC Assistant Coach of the Year. It was his second such honor in three seasons, all while guiding the Rebels.
Rebels Excel Scholastically and Beyond
A trio of Rebel student-athletes went above and beyond in the classroom and with outside organizations. Buesseler was inducted into Mortar Board, an honor society recognizing college students for their exemplary scholarship, leadership and service. Junior Kamilla Kisch also became a member of Phi Kappa Phi, which celebrates students in a similar manner. Thirdly, Jillian Zakrzeski was named the Ole Miss Army ROTC Cadet of the Month for March thanks to her success in the organization and as a member of the Ole Miss Rifle team. Additionally, nine Rebels were commemorated as CRCA Scholastic All-Americans.
For more information on Ole Miss Rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle), and at olemisssports.com.
Players Mentioned
HOT SHOTS: Audrey Gogniat and Emma Holtz
Thursday, March 20
Rifle Air Rifle Runners-Up NCAA
Saturday, March 15
Audrey Gogniat Air Rifle Individual ChampionPodium
Saturday, March 15
HOT SHOTS: Jordan de Jesus and Drew Clinton
Wednesday, March 05