Rifle Earns Fifth Straight NCAA Championship Berth

The team will compete on the biggest stage in their sport, looking to grab a national title from March 14-15 at Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Rebels are entering the tournament with momentum on their side, after besting Memphis in the NCAA Qualifier, 4734-4709. The win gave Ole Miss 10 victories on the year, becoming the third Rebel squad to reach double-digit wins in a season ever. It's the first time Ole Miss has reached the 10-win plateau since the 2021-22 season.

Audrey Gogniat has led Ole Miss during the spring half of the season, pacing the NCAA in both smallbore and air rifle averages. She averages 592.0 in smallbore and 598.8 in air rifle for an 1190.8 aggregate. In total, the Swiss native has achieved 1190-plus scores in four appearances this spring.

Freshman Gracie Dinh and veteran Lea Horvath support Gogniat as the second- and third-highest scoring members of the team. Horvath opened her final season as a Rebel with bang in the opening weekend of competition, firing her fourth career perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State.

Horvath has helped guide Ole Miss to the national tournament in each of her five years as a Rebel. She is a 10-time All-American who has reached the podium in both air rifle and smallbore at the national tournament in her time at Ole Miss. Last season, she finished seventh overall and fourth in smallbore.

Dinh is making her inaugural appearance at the NCAA Tournament. She has emerged as one of the top freshmen in the PRC, holding the third-highest aggregate average among all conference freshmen. She went on a stellar run in the latter half of the fall, pacing the Rebels in aggregate scoring for three straight matches. She's coming off an appearance in which she tied her career-best aggregate score of 1185 at the NCAA Qualifier.

Jordan de Jesus and M'Leah Lambdin are the anchor pieces for the Rebels, who round out the top five in aggregate scoring. At least one of the pair have countered in every match this season. De Jesus has reached the fourth-highest aggregate score this season after hitting 1182 on two occasions. She fired a 596 in air rifle against Jacksonville State, just one point behind Dinh for the highest score in the event by an Ole Miss freshman this season.

Lambdin has developed into a staple of consistency for the Rebels. She 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 set a career-best 1181 aggregate score against Akron and Army.

Emma Pereira and Regan Diamond competed in last season's national tournament and join Horvath as the returning athletes with tournament experience. Pereira earned All-America honorable mention status after ranking second on the team with an impressive 584.8 average, scoring at least 580 in 14 of 15 appearances. Diamond's freshman campaign saw her improve from a 577 in her first appearance to a 590 in smallbore while scoring 595 in air rifle.

NCAA Field

1. Alaska Fairbanks
2. West Virginia
3. Kentucky
4. TCU
5. Ole Miss
6. Murray State
7. Georgia Southern
8. Air Force

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