Rifle Preview: Ole Miss

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – This is it. The final regular-season match of 2019-20 for the University of Memphis rifle squad is Saturday, Feb. 15 at Ole Miss. Match time is 9 a.m. (CT) at the Ole Miss Rifle Range.

Saturday's match not only renews a Mid-South rivalry, but also is an encounter between top-10 foes. Memphis enters the match with a No. 8 national ranking, and Ole Miss is No. 7.

The match is a final opportunity to post another high score that can be calculated into the Tigers' qualification for the NCAA Championships. Half of the NCAA Championships qualification score is the result of next week's NCAA Sectional Qualifier. The other half is the team's top-three scores, with the three results coming at different venues.

To date, the Tigers' top-three scores are a 4679 at Jacksonville State (Gamecock Invitational), 4677 at Murray State (Withrow Invitational) and 4669 at TCU. Memphis' three-match aggregate is 4675.0 heading into Saturday's match at Ole Miss.

Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association Poll

Rank	Team	Rank	Team
1.	Kentucky	11.	Murray State
2.	TCU	12.	NC State
3.	West Virginia	13	Ohio State
4.	Nebraska	14.	Alaska Fairbanks
5.	Akron	15.	Morehead State
6.	Air Force	16.	Jacksonville State
7.	Ole Miss	17.	UT Martin
8.	*Memphis*	18.	UTEP
9.	Navy	19.	North Georgia
10.	Army West Point	20.	UAB

Head coach Dan Hermsmeier comments
"It's our final opportunity to improve on our top-three score average as we head into the NCAA Sectional Qualifier at Murray State in two weeks. I feel the team is in a really good spot right now. The team has been working hard, and I am happy with the effort I've seen. I feel confident that we can put together some good performances going down the stretch into postseason. This weekend's match at Ole Miss gives us an opportunity to check all the boxes before we go to Murray State. It would be good to have another solid road match, and we've shot well on the road all season."

Tigers Tidbits

Saturday's match is the second meeting between the Tigers and Rebels this season. The two Mid-South rivals also competed in November's Gamecock Invitational at Jacksonville State. Memphis won the event with a season-high 4679 aggregate, and Ole Miss was second at 4663. It is the ninth time in the last 10 seasons the Tigers and Rebels have faced each other twice in a campaign (2009-10 to 2017-18; 2019-20). The only season Memphis and Ole Miss competed against each other once in a campaign was in 2014-15.
The two head coaches – Memphis' Dan Hermsmeier and Ole Miss' Marsha Beasley – have a West Virginia connection. Hermsmeier served as a graduate assistant (2014-16) for the Mountaineers before taking the Memphis head job and was a part of two NCAA title teams. Beasley served as West Virginia's head coach from 1990-2006 and led the Mountaineers to eight NCAA crowns.
Memphis graduate assistant coach Ali Weisz will receive a warm welcome in Oxford Saturday. Weisz, an Ole Miss graduate, starred for the Rebels from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Weisz, who recently qualified for Team USA to shoot in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, was a two-time All-American at Ole Miss and made four trips to the NCAA Championships. She won bronze in air rifle at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Memphis has had four or more shooters compile a 1160 or higher aggregate in five of the last six matches.
David Crenshaw has been leading the charge of late with 1160 or higher aggregates in his last four outings. His average aggregate over the last four matches is 1165.3. He has also posted career-highs in both disciplines and aggregate score in this recent stretch.
Taylor Gibson also has posted consistent performances in the last five matches. She shot 1165 or higher aggregates in four of the five matches and has a 1168.8 average over that span. Gibson set career-highs in smallbore and aggregate during the five-match stretch.

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Players Mentioned

David Crenshaw

Taylor Gibson

University of Memphis Athletics