Ole Miss Rifle Prepares for Patriot Conference Tournament in Fort Wayne
The University of Mississippi rifle team will compete in the Patriot Rifle Conference tournament this weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Rebels, ranked No. 5 nationally, are seeking their first team conference championship. The event begins Saturday with the smallbore competition at 9 a.m. CT, followed by air rifle sighters on Sunday at 8 a.m. CT. The winner will be determined after the air rifle event.
Ole Miss (7-2, 5-2 PRC) enters the tournament on a four-match winning streak, the longest since the 2022-23 season. The team recently defeated Ohio State and secured victories over Air Force and Murray State, with a significant win against No. 2 TCU in the fall. Last season, Ole Miss finished second in the conference, tying its best finish in program history. Freshman Audrey Gogniat made history by sweeping individual events and becoming the conference’s first aggregate champion, a feat she aims to defend this year.
The Rebels’ roster features two juniors and six sophomores, including standout shooters Audrey Gogniat and Gracie Dinh. Gogniat holds school records in smallbore and aggregate and recently shot a perfect 600 in air rifle, the second in program history. Dinh also shot a perfect 600 in air rifle against Murray State, marking her as the 30th NCAA athlete to do so. The team has set multiple program records this season, including a 4746 aggregate score against Murray State, tied for the best in school history.
Ole Miss head coach Will Shaner, in his first season leading the team, has overseen a historic spring campaign. Shaner, a former Olympian and NCAA champion at Kentucky, guided the Rebels to their first No. 1 ranking since 2022. The team is currently ranked No. 5 by the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association, with four other PRC members in the top 10.
Gogniat and Dinh are ranked among the top 10 shooters nationally in aggregate scores. Gogniat also won the individual smallbore and air rifle titles at the PRC tournament last year, setting a school record in smallbore and achieving her first perfect 600 in air rifle. Dinh’s perfect score and high aggregate performances continue to push Ole Miss as a leading team in collegiate rifle competition.
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