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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Post Match Notebook: Rifle Freshmen Showed Out Against Top Ranked Team
10/18/2023 | Rifle
Diamond, Schammel and Schleinkofer Not Scared of the Moment
OXFORD, Miss. – After getting experience under their belts with two matches on opening weekend, the freshmen displayed outstanding poise against No. 1 Virginia. The three Rebel freshmen broke eight personal records and were a significant part of a top-five program match score.
Ole Miss rifle fired a whopping 4730, tied for fifth in program history. The score is also the seventh highest in the nation currently. Ole Miss is one of three programs to shoot a score of 4730 or higher. The other two schools are the top two ranked teams in the nation.
MAKING A STATEMENT
Coming off a two-match weekend, including a tight win over No. 9 Murray State, the Rebels needed to bring their A-game to take down No. 1 West Virginia. The Mountaineers were coming off a first-match win where they shot 4751, still the nation's highest shot score.
The first relay kept up with the No. 1 Mountaineers in smallbore trailing 1769-1762, heading into air rifle. Lea Horvath guided the first relay with a season and team-high 591. The Rebels closed the gap in air rifle, tying the match at 3541 apiece.
Both teams had two counters for the second relay, looking to take the advantage over the other team. Regan Diamond and Julianna Hays fired 587 and 590, respectively. The team's smallbore score 2356 marks the third highest in program history. Diamond brought the momentum into air rifle, topping her career high with a 595. M'Leah Lambdin, the final air rifle counter, hit a 592 to solidify the top-five program aggregate score.
PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS
Diamond has been nothing short of impressive to start her collegiate career. The freshmen immediately grabbed the smallbore counter position to start the year, then after shooting a personal best 594 against Jacksonville State, took the air rifle counter spot.
In the season's biggest match, Diamond shot the best marks of her life. The Colorado native tied a season-high 587 in smallbore. She was unsatisfied with one top score, breaking her air rifle career high with a 595. The 587 and 595 were good for her best aggregate score of 1182.
Diamond was not the only Ole Miss shooter to have a career day against the number-one team in the nation. Fellow freshmen Gretchen Schleinkofer and Olivia Schammel torched their previous personal highs. Schleinkofer went from a 573 to a 587 in smallbore and 575 to 585 in air rifle. Schammel also made a massive jump in air rifle, going from 568 in her first match to 586 against the Mountaineers. Both smashed their previous aggregate score.
Let's not forget about Hays, who came up huge in smallbore and tied a career-best in air rifle with a 593.
NEXT UP: SETTING SAIL
Ole Miss remains at home for a match against Navy on Oct. 21. Match time is set to start at 9 a.m. CT. The Rebels have four matches left in their fall schedule.
Ole Miss rifle fired a whopping 4730, tied for fifth in program history. The score is also the seventh highest in the nation currently. Ole Miss is one of three programs to shoot a score of 4730 or higher. The other two schools are the top two ranked teams in the nation.
The team's performance is a huge reason the team climbed from fourth to third in the nation, according to the latest CRCA rankings.Ole Miss fires Top 5️⃣ program aggregate score!#HottyToddyhttps://t.co/6eQe3yDx5v
— Ole Miss Rifle (@OleMissRifle) October 14, 2023
"This weekend was a great performance for our team," said Head Coach Rachel Martin. "It's always a solid start when we can put up a 4730 early in the season and start securing our bid to NCAA Championships in March."Starting to climb! 🧗♀️
— Ole Miss Rifle (@OleMissRifle) October 17, 2023
Rebels move up one spot in latest CRCA rankings! pic.twitter.com/1pTHzY4qEh
MAKING A STATEMENT
Coming off a two-match weekend, including a tight win over No. 9 Murray State, the Rebels needed to bring their A-game to take down No. 1 West Virginia. The Mountaineers were coming off a first-match win where they shot 4751, still the nation's highest shot score.
The first relay kept up with the No. 1 Mountaineers in smallbore trailing 1769-1762, heading into air rifle. Lea Horvath guided the first relay with a season and team-high 591. The Rebels closed the gap in air rifle, tying the match at 3541 apiece.
Both teams had two counters for the second relay, looking to take the advantage over the other team. Regan Diamond and Julianna Hays fired 587 and 590, respectively. The team's smallbore score 2356 marks the third highest in program history. Diamond brought the momentum into air rifle, topping her career high with a 595. M'Leah Lambdin, the final air rifle counter, hit a 592 to solidify the top-five program aggregate score.
PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS
Diamond has been nothing short of impressive to start her collegiate career. The freshmen immediately grabbed the smallbore counter position to start the year, then after shooting a personal best 594 against Jacksonville State, took the air rifle counter spot.
In the season's biggest match, Diamond shot the best marks of her life. The Colorado native tied a season-high 587 in smallbore. She was unsatisfied with one top score, breaking her air rifle career high with a 595. The 587 and 595 were good for her best aggregate score of 1182.
CLIMBING NEW HEIGHTSGetting better every match! 📈
— Ole Miss Rifle (@OleMissRifle) October 14, 2023
Topping her personal best for the third time with a 5⃣9⃣5⃣! pic.twitter.com/KKG0EH0Ofg
Diamond was not the only Ole Miss shooter to have a career day against the number-one team in the nation. Fellow freshmen Gretchen Schleinkofer and Olivia Schammel torched their previous personal highs. Schleinkofer went from a 573 to a 587 in smallbore and 575 to 585 in air rifle. Schammel also made a massive jump in air rifle, going from 568 in her first match to 586 against the Mountaineers. Both smashed their previous aggregate score.
Outstanding day! 😎
— Ole Miss Rifle (@OleMissRifle) October 14, 2023
Gretchen fires a 587 in smallbore then a 585 in air rifle! pic.twitter.com/WxphfgiU5K
"Our freshmen all ended this match with personal records. I think that's a great indicator of their work ethic and how the changes we are making as a team are pushing us to a new standard, " said Martin. "Going into this next week we are focusing on endurance and intensity."𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 personal records! 💥
— Ole Miss Rifle (@OleMissRifle) October 14, 2023
Olivia bested her previous air rifle score by 1⃣8⃣ with a 5⃣8⃣6⃣! pic.twitter.com/1XWVS2r1Ea
Let's not forget about Hays, who came up huge in smallbore and tied a career-best in air rifle with a 593.
NEXT UP: SETTING SAIL
Ole Miss remains at home for a match against Navy on Oct. 21. Match time is set to start at 9 a.m. CT. The Rebels have four matches left in their fall schedule.
Players Mentioned
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