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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, October 26
Oxford, Miss.
9 a.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Jacksonville State
Rifle Faces Jacksonville State in Home Opener
10/25/2024 | Rifle
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss rifle looks to get back in the win column this weekend as it faces No. 16 Jacksonville State in the 2024-25 home opener at the Ole Miss Rifle Range.
The match is set to begin at 9 a.m. and is free for fans to attend.
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
The Gamecocks enter this match having won their lone exhibition of the season thus far. JSU downed Morehead State 4675-4655, as sophomore Frans Rasmusson claimed the top aggregate score of 1176. Ron Frost leads the Gamecocks in his 20th season at the helm. The Gamecocks scored a season-high 4703 against Murray State last season. Rasmusson, Sam Burrow and Jenny Ek lead the way in scoring for the Gamecocks.
Series History
The Rebels own an 9-5 series lead over the Gamecocks since 2010. Ole Miss is on a six-match win streak against JSU, including three times in Jacksonville. The Rebels have outscored the Gamecocks by an average of 38.7 points in the active win streak. Ole Miss' most impressive win came in a 4721-4652 clobbering in 2021 when the Gamecocks visited Oxford. Last time the pair met, Ole Miss claimed a 4714-4675 victory. At the Ole Miss Rifle Range, the Rebels are 3-1 against JSU.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss as the No. 14 team in the country.
Five members of the PRC are inside the top 10: No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 3 TCU, No. 7 Air Force, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 10 Nebraska.
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.
She once again led the Rebels in aggregate scoring against Navy and Nebraska, recording 1182 and capturing the silver for the competition.
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 to start this season. Dinh scored an impressive 597 in air rifle against Navy and Nebraska, the competition best. She's the first freshman since Lea Horvath to record at least a 597 in the event and has the fourth-highest aggregate average among all freshmen in the PRC.
De Jesus has specialized in smallbore, registering 585 and 581 points as a counter. On the flip side, Muzik handles air rifle duties, shooting a season-best 590 against Akron and a 585 against Navy and Nebraska.
Susan Carter has also shown flashes of improvement as a nonstarter. She had the third-highest aggregate score among all Rebels in last weekend's trip to Annapolis, and was top-10 in smallbore.
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 match is set to begin at 9 a.m. and is free for fans to attend.
On the Line
- Ole Miss is 2-2 through the opening two weeks of the season.
- Senior Lea Horvath fired a perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State for 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 three matches, Horvath is averaging 598 points in air rifle, which is tied for the highest average in the NCAA. Of her 180 shots this season, only four registered below a 10.
- Horvath has the fourth-highest aggregate average in the country, with 1186.67.
- The Rebels fired the third-best total in smallbore in program history against Murray State. Freshmen Gracie Dinh and Jordan de Jesus countered in the historic day, with de Jesus making her first appearance as a counter.
- Dinh has countered in all three meets this season. She had a match-high 597 in air rifle against Navy and Nebraska. She became the first freshman to score at least a 597 in air rifle since Horvath did so eight times in 2020-21.
- 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. 14, 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
The Gamecocks enter this match having won their lone exhibition of the season thus far. JSU downed Morehead State 4675-4655, as sophomore Frans Rasmusson claimed the top aggregate score of 1176. Ron Frost leads the Gamecocks in his 20th season at the helm. The Gamecocks scored a season-high 4703 against Murray State last season. Rasmusson, Sam Burrow and Jenny Ek lead the way in scoring for the Gamecocks.
Series History
The Rebels own an 9-5 series lead over the Gamecocks since 2010. Ole Miss is on a six-match win streak against JSU, including three times in Jacksonville. The Rebels have outscored the Gamecocks by an average of 38.7 points in the active win streak. Ole Miss' most impressive win came in a 4721-4652 clobbering in 2021 when the Gamecocks visited Oxford. Last time the pair met, Ole Miss claimed a 4714-4675 victory. At the Ole Miss Rifle Range, the Rebels are 3-1 against JSU.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss as the No. 14 team in the country.
Five members of the PRC are inside the top 10: No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 3 TCU, No. 7 Air Force, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 10 Nebraska.
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.
She once again led the Rebels in aggregate scoring against Navy and Nebraska, recording 1182 and capturing the silver for the competition.
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 to start this season. Dinh scored an impressive 597 in air rifle against Navy and Nebraska, the competition best. She's the first freshman since Lea Horvath to record at least a 597 in the event and has the fourth-highest aggregate average among all freshmen in the PRC.
De Jesus has specialized in smallbore, registering 585 and 581 points as a counter. On the flip side, Muzik handles air rifle duties, shooting a season-best 590 against Akron and a 585 against Navy and Nebraska.
Susan Carter has also shown flashes of improvement as a nonstarter. She had the third-highest aggregate score among all Rebels in last weekend's trip to Annapolis, and was top-10 in smallbore.
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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