Senate Resolution 46

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI WOMENS RIFLE TEAM AND HEAD COACH MARSHA BEASLEY FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING 2021 SEASON AND FOR EARNING A SHARE OF THE REGULAR SEASON TITLE.

WHEREAS, 2021 was the University of Mississippi "Rebels" Womens Rifle Team's second time ever competing as a team at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship (NCAA) event and their first in 15 years. As a team, the Rebels capped off the championship by earning third-place team honors in smallbore, air rifle and overall; and

WHEREAS, Ole Miss earned a share of the Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) regular season title, along with Kentucky and West Virginia. It marked the most conference wins (7) for the Rebels in school history and their first conference championship. Eight members of the Ole Miss Rifle Team earned a combined 16 honors from the Great America Rifle Conference on February 28, 2021, the most in program history and second-most among the nine members of the conference. Sweeping the first-team all-conference awards was freshman Lea Horvath. She was named to the smallbore, air rifle and aggregate first-teams after ranking in the top five in the conference in each discipline. Horvath was also crowned GARC Rookie of the Year, given to the top freshman in the conference. Kristen Derting also earned a trio of honors, the first of her career. She was a member of the smallbore second-team and aggregate second-team after averaging marks of 583.71 and 1176.86, respectively. The sophomore from Salem, Oregon, earned Honorable Mention honors in air rifle. Erin Walsh garnered second-team smallbore honors with a 583.17 average in conference matches this season. She also secured an Honorable Mention Nod in the combined average as well. Abby Buesseler continued to build her legacy at Ole Miss, adding Honorable Mention Smallbore Honors to her resume. Buesseler was also named Ole Miss Rifle's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Wrapping up the individual awards, Junior Jillian Zakrzeski collected Honorable Mention Smallbore Honors, to become the fifth Rebel to be recognized by the conference in that discipline. Freshman Martina Gartz also made an immediate impact in her first season, securing honorable mention honors in air rifle. The Rebels also swept the coaches' awards, with Head Coach Marsha Beasley being named GARC Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach Jean-Pierre Lucas being named Assistant Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Ole Miss rounded out the conference awards by winning the Team Spirit Award; and

WHEREAS, Ole Miss climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the College Rifle Coaches Association Poll on October 13, 2020, the highest ranking in program history. It held the top spot in the poll for three weeks. The Rebels also checked in at No. 1 again in January after defeating No. 2 Kentucky; and

WHEREAS, the Rebels completely rewrote the record books this season, setting program records in aggregate team score (4734), air rifle team score (2383) and a smallbore team score that also was an NCAA Record (2361); and

WHEREAS, on January 30, 2021, Lea Horvath shot the 12th perfect air rifle score in NCAA history. She is the first Rebel and the second freshman to ever achieve this feat. As a freshman, Horvath had quite the showing at the NCAA Rifle Championship; and

WHEREAS, the Rebels recorded an average aggregate score of 4709.6 this season and a 40.9-point improvement from last year's average (4668.7), ranking fourth in the NCAA with that mark; and

WHEREAS, the Ole Miss 2020-2021 Womens Championship Rifle Team Roster: Abby Buesseler; Emily Cook; Sophia Cuozzo; Kristen Derting; Martina Gratz; Lea Horvath; Kamilla Kisch; Claire O'Neel; Megan Taylor; Erin Walsh; Jillian Zakrzeski; Head Coach Marsha Beasley; and Assistant Coach Jean-Pierre Lucas; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we honor these Mississippi athletes who have brought honor to their university, their home communities and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate the University of Mississippi Womens Rifle Team for their outstanding 2021 season and for earning a share of the regular season, and extend the best wishes of the Senate to this team for future success.

be it further resolved, that this resolution be presented to Head Coach Marsha Beasley for the team and Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.