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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Fort Wayne, Ind.
7 a.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Patriot Rifle Championship
Rifle Prepped to Make First Appearance at PRC Tournament
2/7/2025 | Rifle
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – No. 6 Ole Miss rifle is set to make its inaugural appearance at the Patriot Rifle Conference Tournament from Feb. 8-9 at the X Count in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The Rebels (9-4, 1-2 PRC) have had an impressive first season as a member of the conference, maintaining a top 10 national ranking since the beginning of November, reaching as high No. 4 in October. Ole Miss has been especially impressive in the spring slate of competition, going 5-1 in three appearances leading up to its trip to Fort Wayne.
After more than 20 years in the Great American Rifle Conference, Ole Miss is the newcomer in the up-and-coming PRC and looks to make an early name for itself. The Rebels reached a team podium finish in its final three seasons with the GARC.
Smallbore will take place on the eighth, with all seven teams in the conference competing. Air rifle will conclude the weekend's events on the ninth, after which a team and individual champion will be crowned.
On the Line
2024 Fall Season in Review
The Rebels went 4-3 overall and 1-1 in conference matches at the conclusion of the 2024 fall slate. The Rebels are ranked No. 9 by the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association and have competed against four top 10 programs.
Ole Miss is in familiar territory, having capped last season's fall campaign with the same record. The Rebels went on to go 7-6 and placed seventh in the national tournament.
Martin has led the Rebels to several impressive feats to start this season, leaning on one of the strongest freshmen signing classes in program history and an all-time Rebel in Lea Horvath.
Head Coach Rachel Martin
Scouting the PRC…
All seven teams in the PRC are ranked by the CRCA, with five teams within the top five. Alaska Fairbanks leads the conference with a 13-1 record entering the conference championship while averaging 4742.6 aggregate scores. TCU is below them, averaging 4724.8 per match, followed by Air Force with 4716.3.
Katie Zaun of TCU is the conference's most prolific scorer, leading the nation with the highest aggregate average among year-long competitors, but has been outshot by Ole Miss' Audrey Gogniat in the spring. Zaun was last season's CRCA Rifle Athlete of the Year while leading the Horned Frogs to their fourth national championship under head coach Karen Monez.
Ole Miss defeated Ohio State in comeback fashion in the Rebel's only head-to-head conference matchup of the season. The Rebels' air rifle performance propelled them to a 4711-4708 victory.
Ole Miss faced Nebraska and former GARC foe Navy in the program's first tri-team tournament since the 2020-21 season. Nebraska emerged with the top spot for the weekend, behind Emma Rhode's strong performance. Rhode is the leading smallbore shooter in the country with 592.2 splits.
Ole Miss will face Air Force and UTEP for the first time as PRC rivals. Air Force has one PRC championship to its name, coming in 2019.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss the No. 6 team in the country.
Four members of the PRC join Ole Miss inside the top 10: No. 2 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 5 TCU, No. 7 Air Force and No. 9 Nebraska. Ohio State and UTEP find themselves ranked No. 12 and No. 16.
Say 'Hello' to Audrey Gogniat
Head coach Rachel Martin added Swiss shooter and Olympic bronze medalist Audrey Gogniat to the 2024-25 roster last August, and after sitting out the fall season, Gogniat made a splash in her collegiate debut. Gogniat toed the line for the first time as a Rebel on Jan. 18 and casually swept the No. 1 spot in each event of the day. She tied the program record in smallbore with a 594 mark and followed that with a 599 finish in air rifle to form an 1193 aggregate.
Her aggregate score is the second highest in program history. All three scores were the highest of the day in the field as she reached an Ole Miss season-high 100 center shots.
She followed that performance by firing a 595 in smallbore the next day, breaking the record she had tied the day prior. The previous mark had sat since 2020 and was set and matched by Kristen Derting and Lea Horvath. Horvath reached that mark four times, her most recent of which happened in the second match of the fall season where she tied her own program aggregate record.
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 Fairbanks' 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.
Passing The Torch
Gracie Dinh has had an impressive start to her collegiate career thus far. Her performances have drawn comparisons to her teammate, Lea Horvath, and what she accomplished as a freshman in 2020-21.
That season, Horvath led the team in all three categories of shooting. This year, Dinh trails only Horvath in air rifle and aggregate scoring, showing that if Horvath elected not to take her fifth year of competition, Dinh would be doing the same thing. Against Navy and Nebraska, Dinh fired a 597 in air rifle, becoming the first Ole Miss freshman since Horvath to record that high of a score.
Fantastic Freshmen
A large part of Ole Miss' success to start this season has come off the back of its 2024 freshmen class. All six freshmen have countered in at least one event this season, as three have established themselves into the starting rotation.
Gracie Dinh, Jordan de Jesus and Susan Carter have proven to be capable competitors in the arena. Dinh is off to the strongest start of the three, leading the team among season-long competitors with the highest smallbore average (587.9) and the second-highest aggregate average (1181.0) on the team.
She's only getting better with time, after setting a new career high mark of 1185 against Army and Akron. It's the third time in the last five meets she has set new career highs in aggregate scoring.
De Jesus is right behind Dinh in scoring, averaging 1176.1 in aggregate and 591.8 in air rifle. She's fired a 596 in air rifle twice this season and is tied with Dinh for the second-highest average on the team. She's coming off a career-high 1182 combined score against Memphis, the second time in two matches she's done so.
Carter claimed her spot in the starting lineup in the back half of the fall season. As a counter, Carter has averaged 587.3 in air rifle and provided plenty of depth to the lineup.
Claudia Muzik and Kayla Riewe have also earned starting nods this season, both performing their best in air rifle. Muzik came out swinging in her first outing, firing 590 against Akron in the event. In Riewe's first appearance as a counter, she fired a 586 in air rifle and is coming off her second score of over 590 in the event. She shot 592 against Memphis in the last match.
With the emergence of Audrey Gogniat, head coach Rachel Martin's first signing class as Ole Miss' head coach is shaping into one of the best in program history.
Smallbore Savages
Ole Miss has historically performed well in smallbore, both individually and as a group. However, the Rebels upped the intensity against Akron and Army, firing a program-best 2362. Audrey Gogniat set the school individual record with a 595 mark, as all four of Ole Miss' counters scored 588-or-better.
The Rebels had an all-time performance in the second match of the season against Murray State. Ole Miss' 2358 served as the third-best team score in program history, while Lea Horvath tied her personal career-high with 594.
The Rebels have the sixth-best team average in the event thus far and third highest in the PRC.
Much of Ole Miss' success in smallbore has come in the prone position. The Rebels have strung together 11 instances of firing a 200 in prone. Jordan de Jesus leads the team with four occurances at the position, with Emma Pereira having done so three times. Susan Carter has done it twice, as Audrey Gogniat and Lea Horvath each had perfect score in Alaska.
Dinh, de Jesus and M'Leah Lambdin have both fired a 599 out of the gate in the kneeling position. Their accomplishment tied a school record for the best score in smallbore's first position.
Rebs Roll Deep
Ole Miss' depth pieces have come into their own at entering the conference championship portion of the season. Veteran M'Leah Lambdin has emerged as Ole Miss' critical anchor piece in the latter half of the season.
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 set a career-best 1181 aggregate score against Akron and Army.
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 Rebels (9-4, 1-2 PRC) have had an impressive first season as a member of the conference, maintaining a top 10 national ranking since the beginning of November, reaching as high No. 4 in October. Ole Miss has been especially impressive in the spring slate of competition, going 5-1 in three appearances leading up to its trip to Fort Wayne.
After more than 20 years in the Great American Rifle Conference, Ole Miss is the newcomer in the up-and-coming PRC and looks to make an early name for itself. The Rebels reached a team podium finish in its final three seasons with the GARC.
Smallbore will take place on the eighth, with all seven teams in the conference competing. Air rifle will conclude the weekend's events on the ninth, after which a team and individual champion will be crowned.
On the Line
- Ole Miss is coming off a dominant 4725-4698 victory over Memphis. The Rebels filled the aggregate score podium, while also claiming the top six spots in smallbore.
- The Rebels claimed five wins in the spring, four of which stemming from a four- and three-team tournament weekend in Fairbanks, Alaska, in the spring opener. Their only loss of the spring has come to No. 2 Alaska-Fairbanks.
- Ole Miss is up against superpowers in the conference: TCU and Alaska-Fairbanks.
- TCU has historically dominated the conference tournament, having claimed seven overall and four in the last five years. The Nanooks have been knocking on the Horned Frog's door in each of those seasons and have three conference tournaments themselves.
- The other teams in the PRC include Air Force, Nebraska, UTEP and Ohio State.
- The Rebels are 1-2 against PRC teams, however both losses came from opponents placing higher in tournaments. Ole Miss defeated Ohio State, 4711-4708, in the only head-to-head conference match of the season.
- Ole Miss is the sixth-ranked team in the nation according to the CRCA, which is the third highest among PRC programs.
- Freshman Audrey Gogniat currently holds the highest aggregate score average in the nation through three appearances. She's firing 1189.7 per showing.
- Gogniat set the Ole Miss smallbore record against Army and Akron earlier in the spring, firing a 595. She tied the previous school record of 594 the day prior in her collegiate debut.
- As a team, Ole Miss fired the second-highest aggregate score on Jan. 19, with a 4740 mark. In doing so, the Rebels fired a program-best 2362 smallbore score.
- On Jan. 18, Ole Miss tied the fifth-highest air rifle score in program history with a 2382 mark.
- Lea Horvath leads the Rebels in aggregate and air rifle averages among season-long competitors, boasting 1182.0 and 596.0 per appearance, respectively. Gracie Dinh paces the team in smallbore scoring, putting up 587.9 per appearance.
- The Rebels have the eighth-highest aggregate team score average in the NCAA and sit fourth in the PRC with 4714.4 in nine matches.
- Ole Miss also boasts the third-largest smallbore average in the PRC this season, with 2343.2.
- Dinh swept the board in the fall season finale against Ohio State, claiming the No. 1 spot in smallbore, air rifle and aggregate scoring. She scored a then-career best 1184 aggregate, which was the top score of the day by four points.
- Horvath, 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.
- 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 five matches.
- All six freshmen have countered for the Rebels in at least one event this season.
- 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. 6, according to the CRCA.
2024 Fall Season in Review
The Rebels went 4-3 overall and 1-1 in conference matches at the conclusion of the 2024 fall slate. The Rebels are ranked No. 9 by the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association and have competed against four top 10 programs.
Ole Miss is in familiar territory, having capped last season's fall campaign with the same record. The Rebels went on to go 7-6 and placed seventh in the national tournament.
Martin has led the Rebels to several impressive feats to start this season, leaning on one of the strongest freshmen signing classes in program history and an all-time Rebel in Lea Horvath.
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 win as the Rebels head coach against Jacksonville State.
- She guided the Rebels to post the greatest smallbore score in program history against Akron and Army this season. Ole Miss shot 2362.
Scouting the PRC…
All seven teams in the PRC are ranked by the CRCA, with five teams within the top five. Alaska Fairbanks leads the conference with a 13-1 record entering the conference championship while averaging 4742.6 aggregate scores. TCU is below them, averaging 4724.8 per match, followed by Air Force with 4716.3.
Katie Zaun of TCU is the conference's most prolific scorer, leading the nation with the highest aggregate average among year-long competitors, but has been outshot by Ole Miss' Audrey Gogniat in the spring. Zaun was last season's CRCA Rifle Athlete of the Year while leading the Horned Frogs to their fourth national championship under head coach Karen Monez.
Ole Miss defeated Ohio State in comeback fashion in the Rebel's only head-to-head conference matchup of the season. The Rebels' air rifle performance propelled them to a 4711-4708 victory.
Ole Miss faced Nebraska and former GARC foe Navy in the program's first tri-team tournament since the 2020-21 season. Nebraska emerged with the top spot for the weekend, behind Emma Rhode's strong performance. Rhode is the leading smallbore shooter in the country with 592.2 splits.
Ole Miss will face Air Force and UTEP for the first time as PRC rivals. Air Force has one PRC championship to its name, coming in 2019.
Rebs in the Rankings
The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association ranked Ole Miss the No. 6 team in the country.
Four members of the PRC join Ole Miss inside the top 10: No. 2 Alaska Fairbanks, No. 5 TCU, No. 7 Air Force and No. 9 Nebraska. Ohio State and UTEP find themselves ranked No. 12 and No. 16.
Say 'Hello' to Audrey Gogniat
Head coach Rachel Martin added Swiss shooter and Olympic bronze medalist Audrey Gogniat to the 2024-25 roster last August, and after sitting out the fall season, Gogniat made a splash in her collegiate debut. Gogniat toed the line for the first time as a Rebel on Jan. 18 and casually swept the No. 1 spot in each event of the day. She tied the program record in smallbore with a 594 mark and followed that with a 599 finish in air rifle to form an 1193 aggregate.
Her aggregate score is the second highest in program history. All three scores were the highest of the day in the field as she reached an Ole Miss season-high 100 center shots.
She followed that performance by firing a 595 in smallbore the next day, breaking the record she had tied the day prior. The previous mark had sat since 2020 and was set and matched by Kristen Derting and Lea Horvath. Horvath reached that mark four times, her most recent of which happened in the second match of the fall season where she tied her own program aggregate record.
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 Fairbanks' 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.
Passing The Torch
Gracie Dinh has had an impressive start to her collegiate career thus far. Her performances have drawn comparisons to her teammate, Lea Horvath, and what she accomplished as a freshman in 2020-21.
That season, Horvath led the team in all three categories of shooting. This year, Dinh trails only Horvath in air rifle and aggregate scoring, showing that if Horvath elected not to take her fifth year of competition, Dinh would be doing the same thing. Against Navy and Nebraska, Dinh fired a 597 in air rifle, becoming the first Ole Miss freshman since Horvath to record that high of a score.
Fantastic Freshmen
A large part of Ole Miss' success to start this season has come off the back of its 2024 freshmen class. All six freshmen have countered in at least one event this season, as three have established themselves into the starting rotation.
Gracie Dinh, Jordan de Jesus and Susan Carter have proven to be capable competitors in the arena. Dinh is off to the strongest start of the three, leading the team among season-long competitors with the highest smallbore average (587.9) and the second-highest aggregate average (1181.0) on the team.
She's only getting better with time, after setting a new career high mark of 1185 against Army and Akron. It's the third time in the last five meets she has set new career highs in aggregate scoring.
De Jesus is right behind Dinh in scoring, averaging 1176.1 in aggregate and 591.8 in air rifle. She's fired a 596 in air rifle twice this season and is tied with Dinh for the second-highest average on the team. She's coming off a career-high 1182 combined score against Memphis, the second time in two matches she's done so.
Carter claimed her spot in the starting lineup in the back half of the fall season. As a counter, Carter has averaged 587.3 in air rifle and provided plenty of depth to the lineup.
Claudia Muzik and Kayla Riewe have also earned starting nods this season, both performing their best in air rifle. Muzik came out swinging in her first outing, firing 590 against Akron in the event. In Riewe's first appearance as a counter, she fired a 586 in air rifle and is coming off her second score of over 590 in the event. She shot 592 against Memphis in the last match.
With the emergence of Audrey Gogniat, head coach Rachel Martin's first signing class as Ole Miss' head coach is shaping into one of the best in program history.
Smallbore Savages
Ole Miss has historically performed well in smallbore, both individually and as a group. However, the Rebels upped the intensity against Akron and Army, firing a program-best 2362. Audrey Gogniat set the school individual record with a 595 mark, as all four of Ole Miss' counters scored 588-or-better.
The Rebels had an all-time performance in the second match of the season against Murray State. Ole Miss' 2358 served as the third-best team score in program history, while Lea Horvath tied her personal career-high with 594.
The Rebels have the sixth-best team average in the event thus far and third highest in the PRC.
Much of Ole Miss' success in smallbore has come in the prone position. The Rebels have strung together 11 instances of firing a 200 in prone. Jordan de Jesus leads the team with four occurances at the position, with Emma Pereira having done so three times. Susan Carter has done it twice, as Audrey Gogniat and Lea Horvath each had perfect score in Alaska.
Dinh, de Jesus and M'Leah Lambdin have both fired a 599 out of the gate in the kneeling position. Their accomplishment tied a school record for the best score in smallbore's first position.
Rebs Roll Deep
Ole Miss' depth pieces have come into their own at entering the conference championship portion of the season. Veteran M'Leah Lambdin has emerged as Ole Miss' critical anchor piece in the latter half of the season.
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 set a career-best 1181 aggregate score against Akron and Army.
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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