INDIANAPOLIS – Ole Miss rifle has punched its ticket to the NCAA Rifle Championship after a stellar 10-2 regular season and second place finish in the Patriot Rifle Conference Tournament, the association announced during Monday’s Selection Show.
The Rebels are going to the big dance for the sixth consecutive year, dating back to 2020-21. It marks the seventh overall time Ole Miss has made it to the tournament. The Rebels secured a 4743.3 team aggregate average in qualifying matches to secure the No. _ seed.
The team will compete on the biggest stage in its sport, looking to grab a national title from March 13-14 at Ohio State’s Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The Rebels are entering the tournament with momentum on their side, after beating Memphis in the NCAA Qualifier, 4738-4703. The win gave Ole Miss 10 victories on the year, marking two consecutive seasons Ole Miss has reached double-digit wins in a season. It’s the fourth time the team has done so.
This season, Ole Miss has scored its top two air rifle scores in program history (2390 and 2388), its best smallbore score (2368), and tied its best aggregate record (4746 vs. Murray State).
Ole Miss’ dynamic sophomore duo of Audrey Gogniat and Gracie Dinh have led Ole Miss all season. The pair are top 10 shooters in the NCAA according to aggregate averages, Gogniat ranking fourth and Dinh sitting ninth. Nebraska is the only other team in the PRC with two top 10 shooters in the country.
Gogniat and Dinh have both fired a perfect 600 in air rifle this season. Dinh achieved her in a career day against Murray State, when she also shot a 596 in smallbore. Her 1196 is the second-best individual aggregate score in program history, behind Gogniat’s 1197.
Gogniat shot her 600 at the PRC Tournament en route to defending her conference title in the event. She became the second rifle athlete to fire a perfect score in both a conference championship and at the NCAA Tournament, and the first to do it in back-to-back conference championship tournaments.
Gogniat, Dinh and Jordan de Jesus participated in last season’s NCAA Tournament, where Ole Miss finished fourth overall and second in air rifle. Gogniat claimed the individual national title, becoming Ole Miss’ first champion.
NCAA Field
– Alaska Fairbanks
– Georgia Southern
– Kentucky
– Navy
– Nebraska
– Ole Miss
– TCU
– West Virginia