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Rifle Finishes Third Overall at NCAA Championships

3/13/2021 | Rifle

Rebels Wrap Up Successful 2020-21 Campaign

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ole Miss rifle concluded its season with a third-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Rifle Championships with a team score of 4710. The finish is the highest the Rebels have ever achieved in program history.
 
"The team really performed well at the Championships this weekend," said head coach Marsha Beasley. "I'm very proud of how everyone worked through the challenges and put up good scores. All season we've been focused and working very hard, and it really showed this weekend. It's exciting to see where we will go from here."
 
It was the Rebels' second time ever competing as a team at the championship event and their first in 15 years. Back in 2006, Ole Miss competed and placed sixth overall. As a team, the Rebels capped off the championship by earning third place team honors in smallbore, air rifle and overall.
 
"The team shot great and truly competed as a team," said assistant coach Jean-Pierre Lucas. "They've been working hard and making a lot of progress. With that said, the team was very focused and had a clear understanding of how they wanted to compete. They did exactly that. We are very proud of this team and proud of everything they have accomplished this season."
 
On the individual side, Lea Horvath qualified for the final in back-to-back days, this time in air rifle. She went on to place third overall in a closely contested event. It was Horvath's second third-place finish in as many days after she claimed bronze in smallbore yesterday.
 
Just a freshman, Horvath had quite the showing at the NCAA Rifle Championship. Over the course of the two-day competition, she fired the fourth-best aggregate score in the field of 40. Horvath's score of 1185 bookended a remarkable season where she eclipsed the 1180 mark in every match. Sophomore Kristen Derting also notched a top-10 finish, taking home ninth with an aggregate score of 1178.
 
In Saturday afternoon's air rifle relay, Horvath led the way for Ole Miss. She used three perfect strings of 100 to turn in the third-best score in the field with a 597. Derting fired a solid 595 and just missed out on qualifying for the final due to a tiebreaker. Jillian Zakrzeski overcame a bit of a shaky start. The junior locked in and only dropped one of her final 40 shots to post a 591. Erin Walsh had a solid day on the range, finishing with a mark of 590. Abby Buesseler rounded out the relay with a 587.
 
With the trio of third-place finishes, the Rebels wrapped up competition for their 2020-21 campaign.
 
 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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