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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, November 2
Oxford, Miss.
8 a.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Kentucky
Rifle Prepped to Face No. 4 Kentucky
11/1/2024 | Rifle
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 11 Ole Miss rifle is set to take on fourth-ranked Kentucky in its final home match of the fall season on Nov. 2 at the Ole Miss Rifle Range.
The match is set to begin at 8 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 Wildcats are ranked fourth in the country, behind Alaska Fairbanks, Georgia Southern and West Virginia. Kentucky is 3-0 so far this year, and has been ranked as high as No. 2. The team is coming off a 9-2 season in which it earned a second-place finish at the GARC Tournament and a top-four finish at the NCAA Tournament. Harry Mullins leads the Wildcats in his 38th year. Kentucky has scored 4700 or more in each of the three matches this season, with the lowest score coming when it toppled then No. 5 Georgia Southern 4717-4716.
UK is led by All-Americans Sofia Ceccarello and Braden Peiser. Ceccarello leads the nation in aggregate scoring, averaging 1189.67. The junior is an air rifle specialist, but also leads the country in smallbore after a singular 592 performance in the event. Ceccarello began the year as a six-time CRCA First Team All-American. Peiser is fifth in the country in aggregate scoring. He had a season-high 1187 aggregate score against Morehead State to lead the match.
Series History
Ole Miss has a 2-13 record against Kentucky, dating back to 2002. The Rebels have competed well against the Wildcats in recent memory, putting up 4700-plus points in the past four matchups. Ole Miss' only two wins against Kentucky have come in that span, after the team won both matches in 2021.
Last Time Against the Wildcats
Kentucky bested Ole Miss, 4718-4707, in the last competition in Lexington. Kristen Derting and Sofia Ceccarello went head-to-head, with Ceccarello claiming the top spot for the day. Derting came in second, with Lea Horvath also breaching the top-five. After the teams concluded smallbore tied, Kentucky pulled ahead in air rifle for the win.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss the No. 11 team in the country.
Five members of the PRC are inside the top 10: No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks, Nos. 6 TCU and 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 from 2020-22.
She once again led the Rebels in aggregate scoring against Jacksonville State, recording 1180 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, Susan Carter, 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.
She followed that performance with a match-leading 1180 aggregate score with 81 center shots against Jacksonville State. She also had the match-high in smallbore by six points.
De Jesus has specialized in smallbore, registering 585 and 581 points as a counter. Against Jacksonville State, de Jesus put forth the best air rifle performance of her career by shooting a 596. She came one center-shot shy of besting teammate, Lea Horvath, for the event.
Muzik handles air rifle duties, shooting a season-best 590 against Akron and a 585 against Navy and Nebraska.
Susan Carter scored a 587 in air rifle in her first opportunity as a counter. As a nonstarter, she fired the third-highest score of the day in smallbore, 583. Against Navy and Nebraska, Carter had the third-highest aggregate score among all Rebels.
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 match is set to begin at 8 a.m. and is free for fans to attend.
On the Line
- Ole Miss is 3-2 in the fall season.
- The Rebels have the ninth-highest aggregate team score in the NCAA and sit fifth in the PRC with 4703.75 in four matches.
- Senior Lea Horvath leads the Rebels in aggregate scoring with 1185 across four appearances. The 10-time All-American fired a perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State this season, 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.
- Horvath ranks top eight in the NCAA in air rifle and aggregate scoring entering the match.
- The Rebels filled the leaderboard against Jacksonville State last week, securing seven scores in the top 10 of smallbore, air rifle and the aggregate. Horvath earned the best score in air rifle, while Gracie Dinh did so in smallbore and aggregate.
- Dinh led the field in smallbore by six points against Jacksonville State. The freshman earned her third 590 score in the event in four matches, and led to a match-leading 1180 aggregate score with 81 center shots.
- Freshman Jordan de Jesus had a career-day in air rifle, tying Horvath with a match-high 596. Horvath bested de Jesus in center shots, 49 to 48, serving as the freshman's career high in the event.
- So far this season, four freshmen have countered for the Rebels.
- 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.
- Martin earned her 10th as the Rebels head coach against Jacksonville State.
Scouting the Opponent
The Wildcats are ranked fourth in the country, behind Alaska Fairbanks, Georgia Southern and West Virginia. Kentucky is 3-0 so far this year, and has been ranked as high as No. 2. The team is coming off a 9-2 season in which it earned a second-place finish at the GARC Tournament and a top-four finish at the NCAA Tournament. Harry Mullins leads the Wildcats in his 38th year. Kentucky has scored 4700 or more in each of the three matches this season, with the lowest score coming when it toppled then No. 5 Georgia Southern 4717-4716.
UK is led by All-Americans Sofia Ceccarello and Braden Peiser. Ceccarello leads the nation in aggregate scoring, averaging 1189.67. The junior is an air rifle specialist, but also leads the country in smallbore after a singular 592 performance in the event. Ceccarello began the year as a six-time CRCA First Team All-American. Peiser is fifth in the country in aggregate scoring. He had a season-high 1187 aggregate score against Morehead State to lead the match.
Series History
Ole Miss has a 2-13 record against Kentucky, dating back to 2002. The Rebels have competed well against the Wildcats in recent memory, putting up 4700-plus points in the past four matchups. Ole Miss' only two wins against Kentucky have come in that span, after the team won both matches in 2021.
Last Time Against the Wildcats
Kentucky bested Ole Miss, 4718-4707, in the last competition in Lexington. Kristen Derting and Sofia Ceccarello went head-to-head, with Ceccarello claiming the top spot for the day. Derting came in second, with Lea Horvath also breaching the top-five. After the teams concluded smallbore tied, Kentucky pulled ahead in air rifle for the win.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss the No. 11 team in the country.
Five members of the PRC are inside the top 10: No. 1 Alaska Fairbanks, Nos. 6 TCU and 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 from 2020-22.
She once again led the Rebels in aggregate scoring against Jacksonville State, recording 1180 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, Susan Carter, 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.
She followed that performance with a match-leading 1180 aggregate score with 81 center shots against Jacksonville State. She also had the match-high in smallbore by six points.
De Jesus has specialized in smallbore, registering 585 and 581 points as a counter. Against Jacksonville State, de Jesus put forth the best air rifle performance of her career by shooting a 596. She came one center-shot shy of besting teammate, Lea Horvath, for the event.
Muzik handles air rifle duties, shooting a season-best 590 against Akron and a 585 against Navy and Nebraska.
Susan Carter scored a 587 in air rifle in her first opportunity as a counter. As a nonstarter, she fired the third-highest score of the day in smallbore, 583. Against Navy and Nebraska, Carter had the third-highest aggregate score among all Rebels.
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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