Huskers Add Two Student-Athletes

The Nebraska rifle team added two talented student-athletes announced Head Coach Rachel Martin on Tuesday. Victoria "Tori" Kopelen (Fairfax, Va.) and Mackenzie Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind.) will both join the Huskers in the fall as freshmen.  

"We are very excited to be adding these two exceptional young ladies to our program," Martin said. "They have not only displayed a strong work ethic on the range and in their academics, but have shown that they are the type of people that will be great teammates and bring this program to a new level."

Kopelen was a four-time varsity letterwinner and two-time captain for WT Woodson High School. She qualified for the USA Junior Olympics in air rifle in 2020 and earned the CMP Junior Distinguished Badge. Kopelen holds the CMP National Junior Club Team Record in three-position air rifle and was an at-large director of the Izaack Walton League of America. Additionally, Kopelen has been a member of the Arlington Optimist Junior Rifle Club, a nationally recognized competitive rifle team, for the past three years.

Tori was born on Oct. 1, 2002, and is the daughter of retired LTC Paul and Rebecca Kopelen. She has one sister, Olivia. Tori plans to major in biology at Nebraska. Kopelen began shooting in the sixth grade. She would visit her grandfather in the summer and shoot at trees in his backyard. She credits him as her inspiration to get into shooting sports. 

"I chose Nebraska because of the dynamic coaching, support given to the athletes and the amazing academic opportunities," Kopelen said.  

Miller attended Indiana Connections Academy. A four-time team captain, Miller led her team to the IA state title in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Individually, Miller was the state runner-up in smallbore in both 2018 and 2019 before claiming the state title in 2020. Miller also won back-to-back state titles in three-position air rifle in 2019 and 2020. Miller is a three-time Junior Olympic Qualifier and placed second at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Finals in 2018.

Miller was born on April 20, 2003, and is the daughter of Brandon and Sara Miller. She has one brother, Morgan. She intends to major in business at Nebraska. 

"I chose Nebraska because when I came out for a visit it really felt just like home," Miller said. "The campus felt really safe, the people were so kind and helpful and the school has a lot to offer in academics."