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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, October 12
Murray, Ky.
9 a.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Akron
Rifle to Commence 2024-25 With Road Doubleheader
10/11/2024 | Rifle
MURRAY, Ky. – Ole Miss rifle is set to begin the fall portion of the 2024-25 season by traveling to Murray, Ky., where it faces No. 12 Akron and No. 9 Murray State.
The Rebels will open against the Zips on October 12 at 9 a.m. CT, before battling the Racers on October 13 at 9 a.m. CT.
On the Line
2023 Season in Review
The Rebels are coming off their fourth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships, placing in the top-four in three of those events. Lea Horvath earned her 10th career All-American honor, becoming the first Rebel in history to reach double digits. Sophomore sensation Emma Pereira became an All-American honorable mention in smallbore, marking her first time earning All-America status.
Ole Miss went 7-6 overall, with a 2-4 record in conference play. The Rebels reached the podium in their final appearance at the GARC Tournament for the third-straight year of doing so. The team had two of its best performances of all time in 2023-24, breaching the top-10 in aggregate scores twice on the year. Ole Miss also shot three top-10 program match scores in smallbore and one in air rifle.
Head Coach Rachel Martin
Scouting the Opponent
Akron
The Zips enter Friday's competition ranked 12th by the CRCA, and are off to a 2-0 start to their campaign. Newt Engle leads the Zips in his 47th season, making him the longest-tenured coach in Akron history. Akron's roster is full of experience, featuring 10 upperclassmen and a trio of fifth-year seniors. Akron's Gavin Perkowski is the team's only returning All-American, after earning First Team status in air rifle and Honorable Mention in the aggregate.
Murray State
The Racers are led by Alan Lollar in his 19th season, who took over in 2007. The team has won four-straight Ohio Valley Conference titles and return several top competitors. Murray State is 1-0 to start the new year after defeating UT Martin, 4721-4639. Caroline Martin earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors after claiming the conference's top spot in air rifle. Senior Matias Kiuru won the smallbore individual championship and has won the OVC Smallbore Athlete of the Year for five straight years.
Series History
Ole Miss is 6-4 against Akron, having won six of the past eight matchups. The Zips went three seasons from 2021 to 2024 without beating the Rebels, ultimately claiming the last matchup. The Rebels are set to face the Zips in three separate competitions this year, and for the first time as nonconference rivals.
Ole Miss trails the all-time series against Murray State, 3-6. Five of those losses have come on the road. Prior to defeating the Racers for the first time in program history in 2021, the Rebels had lost all six matchups since 2010. Despite that, Ole Miss is now on a three-meet winning streak.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss as the sixth-best program in the nation in their preseason rankings. The Rebels finished last season seventh at the NCAA Championships. It marks the second consecutive top-10 CRCA Preseason ranking for the Rebels.
Three other members of the Patriot Rifle Conference sit in the top 10 to start the new season.
Alaska Fairbanks checks in at the top spot, defending national champion TCU sits at fourth and Air Force is just behind Ole Miss at No. 7. Ohio State (11), Nebraska (13) and UTEP (19) are the other ranked members of the PRC.
Fabulous Freshmen
Head coach Rachel Martin made a statement with her first signing class with Ole Miss. Martin brought six freshmen to the 'Sip, the largest freshman class since at least 2009-10. The 2023 signing class features an Olympic bronze medalist in Audrey Gogniat and a National Junior Air Rifle champion in Gracie Dinh.
Claudia Muzik, Kayla Riewe, Jordan de Jesus and Susan Carter are each Junior Olympians. The 2023 signing class has claimed 15 combined titles in individual or team competitions.
Legendary Lea
Senior Lea Horvath elected to return to Ole Miss for her fifth and final year of competition. In her four seasons as a Rebel, Horvath has rewritten the Ole Miss record books. Horvath is a 10-time All-American, becoming the first Rebel in program history to reach double digits. A staggering eight of her 10 selections were on the first team.
She became the first woman in NCAA rifle history to shoot a 600 in air rifle in three separate instances in 2022, and holds a share of Ole Miss' best smallbore score of 594. Horvath holds the highest season averages in air rifle (597.5), smallbore (589.3) and in the aggregate (1186.6).
Rebs on Socials
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
The Rebels will open against the Zips on October 12 at 9 a.m. CT, before battling the Racers on October 13 at 9 a.m. CT.
On the Line
- The Rebels' roster features seven returning players, including two All-Americans and three counters from the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- Ole Miss is the newest member of the seven-team Patriot Rifle Conference.
- The team welcomed six newcomers, all of who are freshmen.
- The 13-member roster is the largest in program history.
- Ole Miss rifle begins its 29th season as a program.
- Head coach Rachel Martin begins her second season at the helm for the Rebels.
- Freshman Audrey Gogniat won a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Ole Miss rifle is ranked No. 6, according to the CRCA Preseason Rankings.
2023 Season in Review
The Rebels are coming off their fourth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships, placing in the top-four in three of those events. Lea Horvath earned her 10th career All-American honor, becoming the first Rebel in history to reach double digits. Sophomore sensation Emma Pereira became an All-American honorable mention in smallbore, marking her first time earning All-America status.
Ole Miss went 7-6 overall, with a 2-4 record in conference play. The Rebels reached the podium in their final appearance at the GARC Tournament for the third-straight year of doing so. The team had two of its best performances of all time in 2023-24, breaching the top-10 in aggregate scores twice on the year. Ole Miss also shot three top-10 program match scores in smallbore and one in air rifle.
Head Coach Rachel Martin
- This year marks her second season as the Rebels head coach, after being promoted following one season as assistant coach.
- Martin also has two previous years of head coaching experience at Nebraska, guiding them to the NCAA Championships in both seasons.
- Martin has coached five total All-Americans, including two at Ole Miss.
- A former collegiate shooter, she competed with Nebraska from 2014-17.
- Martin was an NCAA Individual Smallbore Champion in 2015.
Scouting the Opponent
Akron
The Zips enter Friday's competition ranked 12th by the CRCA, and are off to a 2-0 start to their campaign. Newt Engle leads the Zips in his 47th season, making him the longest-tenured coach in Akron history. Akron's roster is full of experience, featuring 10 upperclassmen and a trio of fifth-year seniors. Akron's Gavin Perkowski is the team's only returning All-American, after earning First Team status in air rifle and Honorable Mention in the aggregate.
Murray State
The Racers are led by Alan Lollar in his 19th season, who took over in 2007. The team has won four-straight Ohio Valley Conference titles and return several top competitors. Murray State is 1-0 to start the new year after defeating UT Martin, 4721-4639. Caroline Martin earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors after claiming the conference's top spot in air rifle. Senior Matias Kiuru won the smallbore individual championship and has won the OVC Smallbore Athlete of the Year for five straight years.
Series History
Ole Miss is 6-4 against Akron, having won six of the past eight matchups. The Zips went three seasons from 2021 to 2024 without beating the Rebels, ultimately claiming the last matchup. The Rebels are set to face the Zips in three separate competitions this year, and for the first time as nonconference rivals.
Ole Miss trails the all-time series against Murray State, 3-6. Five of those losses have come on the road. Prior to defeating the Racers for the first time in program history in 2021, the Rebels had lost all six matchups since 2010. Despite that, Ole Miss is now on a three-meet winning streak.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss as the sixth-best program in the nation in their preseason rankings. The Rebels finished last season seventh at the NCAA Championships. It marks the second consecutive top-10 CRCA Preseason ranking for the Rebels.
Three other members of the Patriot Rifle Conference sit in the top 10 to start the new season.
Alaska Fairbanks checks in at the top spot, defending national champion TCU sits at fourth and Air Force is just behind Ole Miss at No. 7. Ohio State (11), Nebraska (13) and UTEP (19) are the other ranked members of the PRC.
Fabulous Freshmen
Head coach Rachel Martin made a statement with her first signing class with Ole Miss. Martin brought six freshmen to the 'Sip, the largest freshman class since at least 2009-10. The 2023 signing class features an Olympic bronze medalist in Audrey Gogniat and a National Junior Air Rifle champion in Gracie Dinh.
Claudia Muzik, Kayla Riewe, Jordan de Jesus and Susan Carter are each Junior Olympians. The 2023 signing class has claimed 15 combined titles in individual or team competitions.
Legendary Lea
Senior Lea Horvath elected to return to Ole Miss for her fifth and final year of competition. In her four seasons as a Rebel, Horvath has rewritten the Ole Miss record books. Horvath is a 10-time All-American, becoming the first Rebel in program history to reach double digits. A staggering eight of her 10 selections were on the first team.
She became the first woman in NCAA rifle history to shoot a 600 in air rifle in three separate instances in 2022, and holds a share of Ole Miss' best smallbore score of 594. Horvath holds the highest season averages in air rifle (597.5), smallbore (589.3) and in the aggregate (1186.6).
Rebs on Socials
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
Players Mentioned
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