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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, November 17
Columbus, OH
9 a.m.
Ole Miss
at
Ohio State
Rifle Concludes Fall Season with Bout Against Ohio State
11/16/2024 | Rifle
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 8 Ole Miss rifle travels north to face Patriot Rifle Conference foe No. 9 Ohio State at Converse Hall on Nov. 17.
The match will start at 9 a.m. and will mark the end of the fall portion of competition.
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
Ryan Tanoue leads Ohio State in his 12th season at the helm. The Buckeyes are 3-1 entering the weekend, as they compete in a double-header on Nov. 16 against Nebraska and Navy. Ohio State opened the season firing 4711 against Mt. Aloysius, the seventh-greatest all-time team score in program history.
Derek Keiser and Paige Hollowell lead the Buckeyes after representing Ohio State as NCAA Individual qualifiers from last season. They average 1179.2 and 1173.6 in aggregate scoring, respectively. Freshman Gabriella Sprague has the fourth-highest aggregate average with 1171.4. Sprague led the Buckeyes against Murray State and UTEP, firing 1177.
Series History
This is the first matchup against Ohio State since 2021 and only the fourth time ever. Ole Miss holds a 2-1 advantage in the series, with both wins coming in Columbus. The Buckeyes have never traveled to Oxford.
Ole Miss bested Ohio State by double digits in both of its two wins. Despite its only loss to Ohio State, Ole Miss set a then-program scoring record against the Buckeyes in their first faceoff, totaling 4667 in the loss.
Last Time Against the Buckeyes
Ole Miss cruised past Ohio State, 4682-4658, in the last competition in Columbus. Jillian Zakrzeski and Kristen Derting led the Rebels to victory, firing 1185 and 1180, respectively. Zakrzeski's total was a career high as she fired a 198 in the standing portion of smallbore.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss the No. 8 team in the country.
Five members of the PRC join Ole Miss inside the top 10: No. 3 TCU, No. 5 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 Air Force.
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 personally 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.
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.
Five freshmen have 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.
Jordan de Jesus has specialized in smallbore, registering 586 points in her best performance 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.
Claudia 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.
Kayla Riewe got the starting nod against Kentucky in Ole Miss' last outing. She scored 586 against the Wildcats.
Rebs Roll Deep
Ole Miss' depth pieces have come into their own at the midway mark of the season. Veterans M'Leah Lambdin, Emma Pereira and Regan Diamond have contributed valuable depth to the Rebels' lineup.
Lambdin has earned a counter spot in all but two events this season and has reached the podium for smallbore, air rifle and individual aggregate scoring at least once each this season. She's seen steady improvement in both smallbore and air rifle and has come within two points of firing career best marks in both events in the last two competitions.
Diamond is just behind the trio of Horvath, Dinh and de Jesus in air rifle, averaging the fourth-most on the team at 590. She's had a season-high 594 twice so far this season, including in the last outing against Kentucky.
Pereira has the third-highest aggregate average among Ole Miss returners thus far in the season. An All-American last season, Pereira has appeared in all five of Ole Miss' competitions this season and has fired three perfect scores in the prone position for smallbore this year.
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 will start at 9 a.m. and will mark the end of the fall portion of competition.
On the Line
- Ole Miss is 3-3 in the fall season entering this weekend.
- The Rebels faces Ohio State in their first true head-to-head matchup against a PRC opponent. Ole Miss hope to come away with its first conference win of the season and its first as a member of the PRC.
- Ole Miss previously faced PRC opponent Nebraska in a tri-team tournament at Navy. Nebraska came away with the highest score against both teams that day.
- The Rebels have the eighth-highest aggregate team score average in the NCAA and sit fourth in the PRC with 4705.8 in five matches.
- Ole Miss also boasts the third-largest smallbore average in the PRC this season, with 2340.4.
- The Rebels return to a range after a week off. Ole Miss dropped its last match to No. 4 Kentucky, 4740-4714, on Nov. 2.
- Despite the loss, Ole Miss had several impressive performances. Gracie Dinh had the highest aggregate score for the Rebels for a second consecutive match, firing a career best 1183. The freshman phenom's 591 in smallbore also served as a career high.
- Dinh's partner in crime, Jordan de Jesus, fired a 591 in air rifle, the second week in a row she's eclipsed the 590 mark. Dinh and de Jesus have each fired at least a 596 in air rifle this season.
- Senior Lea Horvath leads the Rebels in aggregate scoring with 1183.4 across five appearances. The 10-time All-America 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 in the top seven in the NCAA in air rifle scoring entering the match.
- M'Leah Lambdin has developed into a staple of consistency for the Rebels. The senior has posted top three individual performances in smallbore, air rifle and the aggregate at least once in the last two matches.
- So far this season, five 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. 8, 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 Championship 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 win as the Rebels head coach against Jacksonville State.
- She guided the Rebels to post the third-greatest smallbore score in program history against Murray State this season, shooting 2358.
Scouting the Opponent
Ryan Tanoue leads Ohio State in his 12th season at the helm. The Buckeyes are 3-1 entering the weekend, as they compete in a double-header on Nov. 16 against Nebraska and Navy. Ohio State opened the season firing 4711 against Mt. Aloysius, the seventh-greatest all-time team score in program history.
Derek Keiser and Paige Hollowell lead the Buckeyes after representing Ohio State as NCAA Individual qualifiers from last season. They average 1179.2 and 1173.6 in aggregate scoring, respectively. Freshman Gabriella Sprague has the fourth-highest aggregate average with 1171.4. Sprague led the Buckeyes against Murray State and UTEP, firing 1177.
Series History
This is the first matchup against Ohio State since 2021 and only the fourth time ever. Ole Miss holds a 2-1 advantage in the series, with both wins coming in Columbus. The Buckeyes have never traveled to Oxford.
Ole Miss bested Ohio State by double digits in both of its two wins. Despite its only loss to Ohio State, Ole Miss set a then-program scoring record against the Buckeyes in their first faceoff, totaling 4667 in the loss.
Last Time Against the Buckeyes
Ole Miss cruised past Ohio State, 4682-4658, in the last competition in Columbus. Jillian Zakrzeski and Kristen Derting led the Rebels to victory, firing 1185 and 1180, respectively. Zakrzeski's total was a career high as she fired a 198 in the standing portion of smallbore.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss the No. 8 team in the country.
Five members of the PRC join Ole Miss inside the top 10: No. 3 TCU, No. 5 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 Air Force.
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 personally 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.
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.
Five freshmen have 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.
Jordan de Jesus has specialized in smallbore, registering 586 points in her best performance 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.
Claudia 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.
Kayla Riewe got the starting nod against Kentucky in Ole Miss' last outing. She scored 586 against the Wildcats.
Rebs Roll Deep
Ole Miss' depth pieces have come into their own at the midway mark of the season. Veterans M'Leah Lambdin, Emma Pereira and Regan Diamond have contributed valuable depth to the Rebels' lineup.
Lambdin has earned a counter spot in all but two events this season and has reached the podium for smallbore, air rifle and individual aggregate scoring at least once each this season. She's seen steady improvement in both smallbore and air rifle and has come within two points of firing career best marks in both events in the last two competitions.
Diamond is just behind the trio of Horvath, Dinh and de Jesus in air rifle, averaging the fourth-most on the team at 590. She's had a season-high 594 twice so far this season, including in the last outing against Kentucky.
Pereira has the third-highest aggregate average among Ole Miss returners thus far in the season. An All-American last season, Pereira has appeared in all five of Ole Miss' competitions this season and has fired three perfect scores in the prone position for smallbore this year.
Rebs on Socials
For more information on Ole Miss rifle, follow the Rebels on Facebook (OleMissRifle), Twitter (@OleMissRifle), Instagram (@OleMissRifle) and at OleMissSports.com.
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