Ole Miss rifle began its doubleheader weekend with a narrow win over Memphis, finishing 4731-4722 on Saturday morning in Oxford. This result extends the Rebels’ head-to-head winning streak to five matches, their longest since the 2022-23 season.
The team has achieved at least 4730 points in five matches this season, setting a new program record. Ole Miss is also averaging 4729.7 aggregate points per match, which marks the highest average in the team’s history. The squad has not scored below 4700 in any match so far this season.
Under head coach Will Shaner, Ole Miss reached two significant milestones during the meet. The team recorded its fifth smallbore score above 2350 and posted its sixth air rifle score over 2380.
Audrey Gogniat and Jordan de Jesus led the Rebels’ efforts by earning overall individual gold and bronze medals, respectively. “Gogniat finished with an 1186 aggregate and has finished first overall in five competitions this season and has been the top Rebel in all but two matches so far this season.” De Jesus secured third place with an 1185 aggregate, just one center shot short of second place, bringing her total to five podium finishes this year.
Regan Diamond joined Gogniat and de Jesus as leaders for Ole Miss in the opening relay. Diamond started strong, missing only three shots while kneeling before entering prone position.
Gogniat delivered her fifth perfect prone score of the season, while Diamond and de Jesus each scored 199 in that position. All three had scores of at least 395 before moving to their final positions.
Diamond completed smallbore with a team-high score of 589 and claimed second overall with 31 center shots. After experiencing equipment trouble requiring a replacement gun, de Jesus rallied to finish just behind Diamond for third place individually.
Gogniat added a score of 587 and Gracie Dinh contributed a 586 to round out smallbore scoring for Ole Miss. The team’s smallbore total was their fifth time reaching at least 2350 points this season and marked consecutive matches achieving that milestone.
In air rifle competition, Gogniat showed why she is a back-to-back PRC champion by scoring a near-perfect 599 after an early error—her fourth time shooting at least that high this year following a perfect score at her last outing. De Jesus hit bullseyes on her first 34 attempts before tying her career best with a score of 597.
Dinh bounced back from smallbore by posting a top-five finish with a score of 595 in air rifle, while Diamond’s contribution of 590 helped secure Ole Miss’ sixth outing above the 2380 mark in air rifle this season.
The Rebels will travel to Memphis tomorrow for another match against the Tigers, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT with smallbore sighters.
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