Huskers to Open Season Against UTEP

The Nebraska Rifle team opens its 2022-23 season against UTEP on Saturday, Oct. 8. The match will be at the Nebraska Rifle Range, located in the basement of the Military and Naval Sciences Building. It will begin at 8 a.m. and attendance is free for fans.

The season-opener marks the first of 11 total regular-season matches, including eight during the fall portion of the season. 

"We are looking forward to hosting UTEP," Head Coach Mindy Miles said. "I am hoping for a strong start that represents the strength of our team." 

The Huskers have faced UTEP 17 times since 2001 and have won 12 of those matchups. The team is currently on a six-game win streak, the most recent coming from last season — Nebraska defeated the Miners with a score of 4,95-4,558.

The team will return five of seven shooters from last year, including returning CRCA All-Americans Cecelia Ossi and Madelynn Erickson. Graduate Student Elena Flake and sophomores Payton Fry and Mackenzie Strauch will also return from a team that was ranked No. 11 at the end of last season.

Last season, Ossi represented the Huskers in the smallbore event of the NCAA Championships and placed ninth out of 45 shooters. She will travel to Egypt this month to represent the United States in the 2022 Rifle and Pistol World Championships. 

Ossi, along with Erickson, earned All-America honors in the smallbore event from the College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA). Ossi was a second-team All-American and Erickson was an honorable mention All-American. 

Nebraska will add three new freshmen this year: Camilla Johannessen, Emma Rhode and Vittoria Watts. 

The three freshmen come in with accolades of their own – Johannessen competed in the Norwegian Junior Championships in 2021 and 2022, and her team placed first in the 50m 3x40 match in 2021 and second in the junior women's 60-shot air rifle match and sixth at the seniors air rifle mix in 2022. She placed seventh in the 50m 3x40 match in 2021 and 11th in the 60-shot air rifle match in 2022.

Rhode  placed first in the air rifle and third in the smallbore at the 2021 Women's Junior Olympic State Championship, and qualified for the USA Shooting National Junior Olympics for the last five years. She has also won multiple Pennsylvania State Championships.

Watts was a two-time California state champion in 2020 and 2021. She was also a 2021 Junior Olympics Qualifier in Air Rifle 60 Standing (593, 44x), and won first place at the 2021 Cal Smith Memorial Air Rifle Match (621.9; 2,440 Team Score).

"We have an impressive freshman class that I am excited to debut this weekend," Miles said. "The freshman class has meshed well with the returners and they will work well together to produce great scores this coming season. A home opener will allow the team to focus on getting back into the swing of things and give the freshmen a soft launch into the collegiate environment." 

The Huskers are also coming off a strong academic season in 2021-22. Emily Cheramie, Erickson, Flake and Ossi earned Academic All-Big Ten awards, along with former Husker Kinga Aletto. Cheramie, Flake, Fry, Ossi and Strauch earned CRCA Scholastic All-American awards. Five Huskers also earned academic medallions for earning a GPA higher than 3.0. Flake and Ossi received gold medallions with GPAs over 3.75. Cheramie received a silver medallion for carrying over a 3.50 GPA, while Aletto and Erickson both earned bronze medallions.

Following the match against UTEP, Nebraska will travel to the Citadel for a match on Oct. 15.

Match results can be followed at this link and a livestream is available via here.