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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, October 19
Annapolis, Md.
9 a.m.
Ole Miss
at
Navy
Rifle Faces Nebraska and Navy in Three-Team Match
10/18/2024 | Rifle
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Ole Miss rifle will close a chapter from its past, while opening a new chapter in their new conference, facing No. 12 Navy and No. 10 Nebraska at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range in Annapolis, Md.
The Rebels face a former GARC foe in the Midshipmen, while also opening their first PRC matchup against the Cornhuskers. The match between the three programs is set for Saturday, Oct. 19 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
Navy
The Midshipmen are 2-1 entering this weekend, but haven't had a competition since Sept. 21. They bested VMI's men's and women's teams, but fell short against TCU. Mike Anti leads Navy in his eighth season at the helm, and has amassed a career record of 59-52. Isabella Baldwin and Marleigh Duncan lead the group this season. Both earned All-America honors last season, with Baldwin earning first team in smallbore and third team in aggregate as a freshman. Baldwin set the program high for the largest season average score in smallbore last year, after averaging 587.7.
Nebraska
Richard Clark and former Ole Miss Rebel Kristen Derting lead the Cornhuskers in their first season with the program. Derting was a seven-time All-American and has a share of the Ole Miss individual high in smallbore, shooting a 594 in 2020. The Cornhuskers are also 2-1 to start the 2024-25 campaign. Nebraska opened the season by upsetting No. 10 Memphis on the road by a commanding 22 points. Emma Rhode has led the team thus far in scoring, averaging 1183.5 through two appearances.
Series History
The Rebels lead the series against Navy 7-3, since 2013. Last time the pair met, Ole Miss claimed a 4714-4701 victory. Ole Miss is on a four-match win streak, with each win margin of victory in double digits. The Rebels stomped the Midshipmen in 2021, 4706-4646, for the first win of the current streak. In Annapolis, Ole Miss is 4-1.
Ole Miss is 5-4 against Nebraska, with its first recorded score coming in 2009. The Rebels and Cornhuskers first faced off in 2004, where the Rebels scored an aggregate 4579. The teams have historically gone back-and-forth, with neither team able to win more than two matches in a row. The Rebels last faced the Cornhuskers in the 2020-21 season, where Ole Miss emerged victorious, 4677-4667. This matchup marks the first PRC conference showdown for the Rebels.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss as the fourth-best program in the nation following its strong opening weekend.
Three other members of the Patriot Rifle Conference sit in the top-10 to start the new season. Six PRC teams rank in the top 10, they are: No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 7 Air Force, No. 8 TCU, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 Nebraska. UTEP is the final ranked member of the PRC, after improving to No. 18.
Legendary Lea
Senior Lea Horvath elected to return to Ole Miss for her fifth and final year of competition, a decision Rebels fans are celebrating. 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.
Her most recent accomplishment was historic, as she fired a perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State. It's the fourth time she's accomplished this feat, and tied Alaska Faribanks' Rylan Kissell for the most in NCAA history in the process.
She also tied her own program record in smallbore (594) and aggregate (1194) against Murray State.
She became the first woman in NCAA rifle history to shoot a 600 in air rifle in three separate instances in 2022. Horvath holds the highest season averages in air rifle (597.5), smallbore (589.3) and in the aggregate (1186.6). On the year, she's averaging 599 points in air rifle.
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.
Dinh, Jordan de Jesus and Claudia Muzik all earned a spot as counter in at least one event from Ole Miss' opening weekend. Dinh countered in smallbore and air rifle in both matches, and averaged 590 in smallbore and 591 in air rifle. She placed in the top three in aggregate scores in both matches, setting a match-high 590 in smallbore against Akron.
De Jesus registered an impressive collegiate debut in smallbore against Akron, where she fired 588 and a team-leading 42 center shots in smallbore, to finish second in the event. She followed that performance by contributing 585 points the next day against Murray State as a counter.
Muzik countered in air rifle for both matches. Against Akron, she fired the sixth-best score of the day with 590 points and 44 centers.
Rebs on Socials
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter/X (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
The Rebels face a former GARC foe in the Midshipmen, while also opening their first PRC matchup against the Cornhuskers. The match between the three programs is set for Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. CT.
On the Line
- Ole Miss went 2-0 in its opening weekend against No. 12 Akron and No. 9 Murray State.
- Senior Lea Horvath fired a perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State, the fourth time in her career. She distanced herself in the record books by becoming the only woman in NCAA history to shoot 600 four times.
- Through two matches, Horvath is averaging 599 points in air rifle. Of her 120 shots this season, only two registered below a 10.
- The Rebels fired the third-best total in smallbore in program history against the Racers. Freshmen Gracie Dinh and Jordan de Jesus countered in the historic day, with de Jesus making her first appearance as a counter.
- Dinh countered in both meets. She had a match-high 590 score in smallbore against Akron, and placed in the top three in aggregate scoring for both meets.
- The Rebels have eclipsed 300 center shots in both matches.
- Facing Nebraska marks Ole Miss' first conference match as a member of the Patriot Rifle Conference.
- The Rebels' roster features seven returning athletes, 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 is ranked No. 4, according to the CRCA.
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
Navy
The Midshipmen are 2-1 entering this weekend, but haven't had a competition since Sept. 21. They bested VMI's men's and women's teams, but fell short against TCU. Mike Anti leads Navy in his eighth season at the helm, and has amassed a career record of 59-52. Isabella Baldwin and Marleigh Duncan lead the group this season. Both earned All-America honors last season, with Baldwin earning first team in smallbore and third team in aggregate as a freshman. Baldwin set the program high for the largest season average score in smallbore last year, after averaging 587.7.
Nebraska
Richard Clark and former Ole Miss Rebel Kristen Derting lead the Cornhuskers in their first season with the program. Derting was a seven-time All-American and has a share of the Ole Miss individual high in smallbore, shooting a 594 in 2020. The Cornhuskers are also 2-1 to start the 2024-25 campaign. Nebraska opened the season by upsetting No. 10 Memphis on the road by a commanding 22 points. Emma Rhode has led the team thus far in scoring, averaging 1183.5 through two appearances.
Series History
The Rebels lead the series against Navy 7-3, since 2013. Last time the pair met, Ole Miss claimed a 4714-4701 victory. Ole Miss is on a four-match win streak, with each win margin of victory in double digits. The Rebels stomped the Midshipmen in 2021, 4706-4646, for the first win of the current streak. In Annapolis, Ole Miss is 4-1.
Ole Miss is 5-4 against Nebraska, with its first recorded score coming in 2009. The Rebels and Cornhuskers first faced off in 2004, where the Rebels scored an aggregate 4579. The teams have historically gone back-and-forth, with neither team able to win more than two matches in a row. The Rebels last faced the Cornhuskers in the 2020-21 season, where Ole Miss emerged victorious, 4677-4667. This matchup marks the first PRC conference showdown for the Rebels.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss as the fourth-best program in the nation following its strong opening weekend.
Three other members of the Patriot Rifle Conference sit in the top-10 to start the new season. Six PRC teams rank in the top 10, they are: No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 7 Air Force, No. 8 TCU, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 Nebraska. UTEP is the final ranked member of the PRC, after improving to No. 18.
Legendary Lea
Senior Lea Horvath elected to return to Ole Miss for her fifth and final year of competition, a decision Rebels fans are celebrating. 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.
Her most recent accomplishment was historic, as she fired a perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State. It's the fourth time she's accomplished this feat, and tied Alaska Faribanks' Rylan Kissell for the most in NCAA history in the process.
She also tied her own program record in smallbore (594) and aggregate (1194) against Murray State.
She became the first woman in NCAA rifle history to shoot a 600 in air rifle in three separate instances in 2022. Horvath holds the highest season averages in air rifle (597.5), smallbore (589.3) and in the aggregate (1186.6). On the year, she's averaging 599 points in air rifle.
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.
Dinh, Jordan de Jesus and Claudia Muzik all earned a spot as counter in at least one event from Ole Miss' opening weekend. Dinh countered in smallbore and air rifle in both matches, and averaged 590 in smallbore and 591 in air rifle. She placed in the top three in aggregate scores in both matches, setting a match-high 590 in smallbore against Akron.
De Jesus registered an impressive collegiate debut in smallbore against Akron, where she fired 588 and a team-leading 42 center shots in smallbore, to finish second in the event. She followed that performance by contributing 585 points the next day against Murray State as a counter.
Muzik countered in air rifle for both matches. Against Akron, she fired the sixth-best score of the day with 590 points and 44 centers.
Rebs on Socials
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter/X (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
Players Mentioned
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