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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Akron
Rifle Welcomes Akron and Navy to Town
10/15/2021 | Rifle
Rebels Look to Pick Up Two GARC Wins
OXFORD, Miss. – Coming off its first victory of the season, the No. 4 Ole Miss rifle team welcomes No. 12 Akron and No. 7 Navy to town, kicking off a three-match homestand on Saturday and Sunday.
Last weekend, the Rebels combined for a team score of 4697 against Murray State. Lea Horvath picked up right where she left off last season, posting an 1183. Sophomores Kristen Derting and Claire O'Neel followed with the next two best scores in the match, firing identical 1179s. For Derting, it was another impressive outing in smallbore, while O'Neel used a career-high 597 in air rifle to fuel her big day on the range.
Heading into the pair of GARC matches, Ole Miss is led by two of the top-seven shooters in the nation in Horvath and Derting. Seniors Jillian Zakrzeski and Erin Walsh boast aggregate averages of right around 1170.0 and have served as counters in each of the first two matches this season. Also seeing time as a counter this season has been Abby Buesseler, Martina Gratz, M'Leah Lambdin and O'Neel.
Last season, the Rebels competed against the Zips and Midshipmen in a neutral site match in Morgantown, West Virginia. Horvath was the star of the match, firing 60 perfect shots in air rifle to post the 12th perfect score in NCAA history.
Akron has only competed once this season, a 4672-4655 victory over Navy two weeks ago. Andre Gross and Kayla Andreoli led the Zips with aggregate scores of over 1170 in that match.
Navy is 2-2 on the year, with victories over VMI and Ohio State. In its last match against the Buckeyes two weeks ago, the Midshipmen fired a school record 4687 as a team. Michael Zanti paces the squad with the fifth-best average in the country, an 1181.3.
The first smallbore relay is set to begin at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. All home matches are open to the public this season.
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
Players Mentioned
