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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Feature: From Student-Athlete to Head Coach
12/4/2023 | Rifle
OXFORD, Miss – Imagine going from college senior to being hired as a head rifle coach at a different university in a matter of months. Former Rebel Claire O'Neel was announced as The Citadel's new mixed rifle head coach on August 17, 2023, just 172 days after shooting her final match at Ole Miss.
While working at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Summer Camps, O'Neel learned of the position through a current Citadel player, Charlotte Welsh. The two got to know each other almost by fate. The power at the camp in Oklahoma went out for 14 hours, and Welsh shared a room with current Rebel senior and former teammate of O'Neel, Lea Horvath. While spending time with Welsh, the 2022 First Team Air Rifle All-American found out about the head coach opening.
After much reflection and counsel, O'Neel decided to apply for the position.
"When I started the summer camp program this past summer, I had just applied to a full-time job there [CMP]," said O'Neel. "But once I heard about this, something in my head, if it works out, you have to do this."
Through the process, O'Neel reached out to former assistant coach and current Rebel head coach Rachel Martin for guidance. Martin was glad to support her former player towards achieving her aspirations.
"Coaching is an extremely difficult job, and very few individuals realize that. You are not simply a coach, but in some ways, you are also a mentor, a parent, a role model, and a confidant," said Martin. "I think how we as coaches can be at our best for our student-athletes is to support each other, so I was more than happy to be there for Claire, and it meant a lot to me that she asked to use me as a reference. I am so glad Claire has found a school that she loves, but to me, she will always be a Rebel first."
Inspired by her private coach in high school, O'Neel desired to be a rifle coach someday. She also loves the sport and sought to give back to future shooters.
"The way that she impacted my life, I wanted to be able to do that for other people," said O'Neel.
Despite dreaming of being a head coach, the Fredericksburg, Maryland native never thought it would happen. Rifle coaching positions are rarely open, and they are competitive when there is a position to fill. The opportunity presented itself, and O'Neel did not let it get away.
O'Neel recognizes the program's role in getting her the head coaching opportunity.
"I love Ole Miss! I am super thankful for every opportunity at Ole Miss, and if I hadn't gone to Ole Miss, I would not be in this position."
As a new head coach, her first challenge was getting to know the university and the culture. The Citadel is a senior military college; therefore, O'Neel needed to learn different rules from those at Ole Miss such as submitting special order forms for Saturday practices. The school also has many traditions aligned with the military, such as Knobs (first-year students) are not recognized by their first names until Recognition Day. In an attempt to separate Rifle and the Corp, O'Neel asked the team to call each other by their first name inside the range. She learned through her team that the idea had taken away from the university's tradition.
Beyond outside factors, O'Neel fought through internal challenges of self-doubt to start. At the age of 22, she hasn't been out of school for more than a year and is tasked with leading a team that is not much younger than herself.
"Part of me was like there have to be better people for this job than me," said O'Neel
However, the team's results and support for her have encouraged and given O'Neel confidence. Despite their record, the Bulldogs have seen their scores improve from previous years. On November 4 against Nebraska, a top-10 team in the nation, the squad shot a program-best 4632.
"After we did that and just seeing how the team has responded, that's kind of given me confidence," said O'Neel. "I think also seeing the progress and how basically everyone on the team last year has said this is so much better or I like the way you are doing this, stuff like that, has kind of let me trust myself a little more."
O'Neel used her own experience of coaching transition while at Ole Miss to guide her as a new coach of the Bulldogs. Before her senior year, Ole Miss hired Coach Martin as assistant coach, replacing the coach who taught O'Neel her first three collegiate seasons. As she took over in Charleston, she understood the need to listen.
"I wanted them to be able to talk to me … I wanted to be able to listen," said O'Neel.
She credits her coaching style to the many coaches she worked with throughout her rifle career. O'Neel's training plans and drills for practice came from Coach Martin; having the team fill out practice logs was influenced by Coach Beasley and Lucas; and other exercises from her high school coach. Coach Martin also continues to answer any questions asked by her former player.
O'Neel stated, "I respect every coach I've worked with … so seeing how they worked with me and how that made me a good athlete, I kind of pick and choose from all of them into how I want to coach."
The former Rebel came in with a goal to bring the strong team culture of Ole Miss to the Citadel. O'Neel believes Ole Miss was good when she arrived her freshman year but got better her junior year when Ole Miss created a healthier team dynamic. In her first team meeting with her new team, she established a mission statement like she had when she was a shooter at Ole Miss.
"Getting all on the same page and working towards a common goal," O'Neel said. "It might not necessarily be winning every time, but it's at least trying to get better every time."
Ole Miss also taught O'Neel to have gratitude in every area. She wants her team to realize how great an opportunity it is to be at the Citadel and a student-athlete despite the hard work that goes into it. Even if the team isn't the best in the NCAA, they can still find positives. The students have a saying, "It's a good day to be a dog."
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle), and at OleMissSports.com.
While working at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Summer Camps, O'Neel learned of the position through a current Citadel player, Charlotte Welsh. The two got to know each other almost by fate. The power at the camp in Oklahoma went out for 14 hours, and Welsh shared a room with current Rebel senior and former teammate of O'Neel, Lea Horvath. While spending time with Welsh, the 2022 First Team Air Rifle All-American found out about the head coach opening.
After much reflection and counsel, O'Neel decided to apply for the position.
"When I started the summer camp program this past summer, I had just applied to a full-time job there [CMP]," said O'Neel. "But once I heard about this, something in my head, if it works out, you have to do this."
Through the process, O'Neel reached out to former assistant coach and current Rebel head coach Rachel Martin for guidance. Martin was glad to support her former player towards achieving her aspirations.
"Coaching is an extremely difficult job, and very few individuals realize that. You are not simply a coach, but in some ways, you are also a mentor, a parent, a role model, and a confidant," said Martin. "I think how we as coaches can be at our best for our student-athletes is to support each other, so I was more than happy to be there for Claire, and it meant a lot to me that she asked to use me as a reference. I am so glad Claire has found a school that she loves, but to me, she will always be a Rebel first."
Inspired by her private coach in high school, O'Neel desired to be a rifle coach someday. She also loves the sport and sought to give back to future shooters.
"The way that she impacted my life, I wanted to be able to do that for other people," said O'Neel.
Despite dreaming of being a head coach, the Fredericksburg, Maryland native never thought it would happen. Rifle coaching positions are rarely open, and they are competitive when there is a position to fill. The opportunity presented itself, and O'Neel did not let it get away.
O'Neel recognizes the program's role in getting her the head coaching opportunity.
"I love Ole Miss! I am super thankful for every opportunity at Ole Miss, and if I hadn't gone to Ole Miss, I would not be in this position."
As a new head coach, her first challenge was getting to know the university and the culture. The Citadel is a senior military college; therefore, O'Neel needed to learn different rules from those at Ole Miss such as submitting special order forms for Saturday practices. The school also has many traditions aligned with the military, such as Knobs (first-year students) are not recognized by their first names until Recognition Day. In an attempt to separate Rifle and the Corp, O'Neel asked the team to call each other by their first name inside the range. She learned through her team that the idea had taken away from the university's tradition.
Beyond outside factors, O'Neel fought through internal challenges of self-doubt to start. At the age of 22, she hasn't been out of school for more than a year and is tasked with leading a team that is not much younger than herself.
"Part of me was like there have to be better people for this job than me," said O'Neel
However, the team's results and support for her have encouraged and given O'Neel confidence. Despite their record, the Bulldogs have seen their scores improve from previous years. On November 4 against Nebraska, a top-10 team in the nation, the squad shot a program-best 4632.
"After we did that and just seeing how the team has responded, that's kind of given me confidence," said O'Neel. "I think also seeing the progress and how basically everyone on the team last year has said this is so much better or I like the way you are doing this, stuff like that, has kind of let me trust myself a little more."
O'Neel used her own experience of coaching transition while at Ole Miss to guide her as a new coach of the Bulldogs. Before her senior year, Ole Miss hired Coach Martin as assistant coach, replacing the coach who taught O'Neel her first three collegiate seasons. As she took over in Charleston, she understood the need to listen.
"I wanted them to be able to talk to me … I wanted to be able to listen," said O'Neel.
She credits her coaching style to the many coaches she worked with throughout her rifle career. O'Neel's training plans and drills for practice came from Coach Martin; having the team fill out practice logs was influenced by Coach Beasley and Lucas; and other exercises from her high school coach. Coach Martin also continues to answer any questions asked by her former player.
O'Neel stated, "I respect every coach I've worked with … so seeing how they worked with me and how that made me a good athlete, I kind of pick and choose from all of them into how I want to coach."
The former Rebel came in with a goal to bring the strong team culture of Ole Miss to the Citadel. O'Neel believes Ole Miss was good when she arrived her freshman year but got better her junior year when Ole Miss created a healthier team dynamic. In her first team meeting with her new team, she established a mission statement like she had when she was a shooter at Ole Miss.
"Getting all on the same page and working towards a common goal," O'Neel said. "It might not necessarily be winning every time, but it's at least trying to get better every time."
Ole Miss also taught O'Neel to have gratitude in every area. She wants her team to realize how great an opportunity it is to be at the Citadel and a student-athlete despite the hard work that goes into it. Even if the team isn't the best in the NCAA, they can still find positives. The students have a saying, "It's a good day to be a dog."
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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