The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rifle Earns No. 5 Seed For NCAA Championship
2/22/2022 | Rifle
Rebels to Compete at NCAA Rifle Championship March 11-12
OXFORD, Miss. – For the second consecutive season, Ole Miss rifle has punched its ticket for the NCAA Rifle Championship, earning the No. 5 seed.
The 2022 GARC Regular Season Co-Champions clinched its spot in the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championship last weekend, firing a score of 4719 in its qualifier match with Jacksonville State. With a spot to compete on the biggest stage in their sport, the Rebels have their sights set on capping off their season with a national title on March 11-12 in Clune Arena in USAF Academy, Colorado.
On its path to the championship match, Ole Miss has already competed against five teams in the field of eight. The Rebels dropped a pair of tight matches to No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks on the road a month ago and defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington last fall.
Heading into the postseason, the Rebels put together another impressive resume. They fired five of the top nine scores in program history during the 2021-22 season, including a school record 4737 against Army on January 29. Overall, Ole Miss turned in scores of 4700 or better in 11 matches this season as it finished 10-3.
Last year's CRCA Rookie of the Year and third place individual in both smallbore and air rifle, Lea Horvath, hasn't slowed down in her sophomore campaign. The Komárom, Hungary, native ranks fourth in the nation with an average aggregate score of 1186.3. Junior Claire O'Neel has transformed into one of the top air rifle performers in the country this season, ranking eighth with a 595.2 average. Kristen Derting has also been sharp for the Rebels, posting the 16th best smallbore average in the NCAA. Rounding out the counters are a pair of seniors, Abby Buesseler and Jillian Zakrzeski. The duo was a part of last season's squad that finished third at NCAAs and are looking for a storybook ending to their Ole Miss careers.
The full field of eight is listed below:
1. Alaska Fairbanks
2. Kentucky
3. TCU
4. Air Force
5. Ole Miss
6. West Virginia
7. Navy
8. Murray State
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
Players Mentioned
