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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Navy
Rifle Prepares to Host No. 13 Navy
10/20/2023 | Rifle
Rebels Compete Against the Midshipmen on Saturday, October 21
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss rifle returns home to host Navy on October 21. The Rebels head into the match looking for their first conference win of the season. The match is set to start at 9 a.m. CT.
On the Line
- The Rebels' roster has seven returning players, including all five NCAA Championship counters
- The team also brought in four newcomers, three freshmen, and a transfer
- The 11-member roster is the largest since the 2020-21 season
- Ole Miss went 2-0 in its opening weekend against Jacksonville State and Murray State
- M'Leah Lambdin countered her first match in air rifle against West Virginia
- Regan Diamond and Gretchen Schleinkofer shot personal bests in all three disciplines against No. 1 West Virginia
- Shot top-five marks in smallbore and aggregate in the match against No. 1 West Virginia
- One of three programs to have shot a score of 4730 or higher
- Coach Martin earned her first win as the Rebels' head coach against Jacksonville State and her first overall since January 24, 2021, as the Nebraska coach
- New assistant coach Will Shaner won the gold medal for men's air rifle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Ole Miss rifle is ranked No. 4, according to the CRCA Preseason Rankings
2022 Season in Review
The Rebels are coming off their third straight top-four placement at the NCAA Championships. On their way to fourth place, the team also finished second in smallbore for the first time in program history. Lea Horvath and Emma Pereira guided Ole Miss with their fifth and seventh-place finishes in smallbore. Ole Miss went 9-2 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.
It was a record-breaking year for the Rebels as a team and for individuals. The team posted a program-high match score of 4743 against Memphis. The Rebels were runner-ups at the GARC Championships for the program's highest placement ever. Individually, Horvath became the first woman in NCAA history to fire a perfect 600 in air rifle three times in a career. The senior also tied her own school record in smallbore of 594 and broke her match aggregate score of 1194.
Coach Rachel Martin
- First season as the Rebels head coach, promoted after one season as assistant coach
- Two years of head coaching experience at Nebraska, guiding them to the NCAA Championships in both seasons
- Coached three All-Americans
- Former collegiate shooter with Nebraska from 2014-17
- NCAA Individual Smallbore Champion in 2015
Scouting the Opponent
Navy
The Midshipmen, led by Mike Anti in his seventh season, are ranked No. 13 in the nation by the CRCA. Navy comes into the match with a 2-2 overall record and 0-1 in GARC after losing to Akron on Saturday. The team opened their 2023-24 campaign, playing TCU and both VMI men's and women's teams. Freshman Isabella Baldwin leads the team in aggregate average with an 1182.5. She also has the highest smallbore average of 591. Veterans Marleigh Duncan and Clarissa Layland sport the top air rifle average of 592.
Series History
Ole Miss is 6-3 all-time against the Midshipmen, winning the first match in 2013. The Rebels have won the last three meetings, including their first home win against Navy.
Flourishing Freshmen
All three Rebel freshmen broke personal records against No. 1 West Virginia. Schleinkofer and Diamond surpassed career bests in all three disciplines. Olivia Schammel smashed her previous air rifle score by 18 points for a 586.
Diamond in the Rough
The freshman started her first-ever collegiate match against Jacksonville State as a smallbore counter. She fired a 577, which is tied for the seventh-best smallbore performance. While Diamond was not a counter for air rifle, she still put up 594, securing fifth place in the discipline. It marks a freshman's highest air rifle score in their first match since Horvath in 2020.
The Keenesburg, Colorado, native's stellar outing earned her a counter spot in smallbore and air rifle the next day in a win over Murray State. Diamond delivered an 1180 aggregate score, which tied for second place overall. She shot a personal best 587 in smallbore and a 593 in air rifle. On Saturday, she went on to top her 594 air rifle score with a 595 against No. 1 West Virginia.
CRCA Rankings
Ole Miss rifle moved up one spot into the top-three at No. 3 in the latest CRCA rankings. The Rebels moved ahead of Kentucky after shooing the sixth-best score in the nation (4730) against the top-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers.
TCU remained in second while Nebraska and Kentucky rounded out the top-five.
Promotional Schedule
The first 24 fans will receive a ticket to receive an Ole Miss rifle glass. The glasses will be handed out to those fans at 11 a.m.
Players Mentioned
