The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rifle Takes Aim at National Championship
3/10/2022 | Rifle
Rebels Set For 2022 NCAA Rifle Championship
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Competing on the biggest stage in their sport, No. 5 Ole Miss Rifle has its sights set on capping off its season with a national title on March 11-12 in Clune Arena in USAF Academy, Colorado.
The 2022 GARC Regular Season Co-Champions clinched their spot in the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championship a month ago, firing a score of 4719 in their qualifier match with Jacksonville State. 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. The Rebels posted a 10-3 record overall with a 7-1 mark in conference matches and a third-place finish at the GARC Championship Match. As a team, Ole Miss fired five of the top nine scores in program history and topped the 4700 mark 11 times.
The Rebels bring an experienced group of counters to the match. Four of the five have experience at the championship match. 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. She was recently named GARC Shooter of the year, after leading the conference all season. The Komárom, Hungary, native ranks fourth in the nation with an average aggregate score of 1186.1.
Juniors Kristen Derting and Claire O'Neel bring some added firepower to the lineup. Derting has been sharp for the Rebels, posting the 16th best smallbore average in the NCAA. O'Neel, on the other hand, has transformed into one of the top air rifle performers in the country this season, ranking seventh with a 595.5 average. She has also fired a career-high 599 twice this year.
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. Buesseler has averaged an 1179.2 in her last five matches while posting a career-best 1188 earlier this spring.
The full field of eight for the championship is listed below:
1. Alaska Fairbanks
2. Kentucky
3. TCU
4. Air Force
5. Ole Miss
6. West Virginia
7. Navy
8. Murray State
Teams will shoot smallbore on Friday and air rifle on Saturday, with three relays of each discipline followed by a final for the top eight individuals. Action begins at 10 a.m. CT on both days. The full schedule can be found below:
Friday, March 11, Smallbore, Cadet Gym Rifle Range
10:15 am – Relay 1
1:00 pm – Relay 2
3:45 pm – Relay 3
6:30 pm – Individual smallbore finals
Saturday, March 12, Air Rifle, Clune Arena
10:15 am – Relay 1
12:15 pm – Relay 2
2:30 pm – Individual air rifle finals
Awards Upon Completion of Finals
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
The 2022 GARC Regular Season Co-Champions clinched their spot in the 2022 NCAA Rifle Championship a month ago, firing a score of 4719 in their qualifier match with Jacksonville State. 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. The Rebels posted a 10-3 record overall with a 7-1 mark in conference matches and a third-place finish at the GARC Championship Match. As a team, Ole Miss fired five of the top nine scores in program history and topped the 4700 mark 11 times.
The Rebels bring an experienced group of counters to the match. Four of the five have experience at the championship match. 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. She was recently named GARC Shooter of the year, after leading the conference all season. The Komárom, Hungary, native ranks fourth in the nation with an average aggregate score of 1186.1.
Juniors Kristen Derting and Claire O'Neel bring some added firepower to the lineup. Derting has been sharp for the Rebels, posting the 16th best smallbore average in the NCAA. O'Neel, on the other hand, has transformed into one of the top air rifle performers in the country this season, ranking seventh with a 595.5 average. She has also fired a career-high 599 twice this year.
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. Buesseler has averaged an 1179.2 in her last five matches while posting a career-best 1188 earlier this spring.
The full field of eight for the championship is listed below:
1. Alaska Fairbanks
2. Kentucky
3. TCU
4. Air Force
5. Ole Miss
6. West Virginia
7. Navy
8. Murray State
Teams will shoot smallbore on Friday and air rifle on Saturday, with three relays of each discipline followed by a final for the top eight individuals. Action begins at 10 a.m. CT on both days. The full schedule can be found below:
Friday, March 11, Smallbore, Cadet Gym Rifle Range
10:15 am – Relay 1
1:00 pm – Relay 2
3:45 pm – Relay 3
6:30 pm – Individual smallbore finals
Saturday, March 12, Air Rifle, Clune Arena
10:15 am – Relay 1
12:15 pm – Relay 2
2:30 pm – Individual air rifle finals
Awards Upon Completion of Finals
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