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The UTEP rifle team will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State on Saturday, January 25 at 7 a.m. MT at Lt. Hugh W. Wylie Range.

“The team is back and excited for the next half of the season,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “They have recharged themselves over the winter break and we have been training hard. We are ready to travel up to Ohio State to compete.”

During the last matchup of the fall season the Miners earned their highest aggregate score, 4597, at home against Alaska Fairbanks (11/22).

Freshman Jonna Warnken leads the Orange and Blue with a 581 air rifle average, heading into the spring season.  She posted a season high in air at Air Force (10/26), tallying a 587 mark.

Morgahn Warner and Mara Rouse pace the team in smallbore with an average of 571. Rouse contributed the best performance in smallbore for the Miners with a team high of 579.

Amoret McCartney has the fourth-highest aggregate average on the squad (1140).  Samantha Miller and Jennie Windle follow with averages of 1129 and 1128, respectively.

The Buckeyes are averaging an aggregate of 4648 this season. Ariel Hall boasts a team best 577 in smallbore. Rhiann Travis currently paces Ohio State with an air rifle average of 589.

Fans can follow along with the action with live stats via this website.

Imagine taking aim at a target that is no bigger than the size of the period at the end of this sentence. If you can grasp the idea of it then take the next step and let’s do it 120 times in three hours.

In sports there are many ways to be perfect. You can juke one way or another to avoid a defender. You can take the jumper, drive the lane and you can even dish it to your teammate. “Perfection” can be up, down, around, over and even through.

In rifle there is only one way, and that is right down the barrel, perfection sits in the 10-ring 50 feet down range. UTEP’s Mara Rouse and hundreds of other collegiate athletes have been chasing this target for as long as they can remember.

“Always having to be on and always having to be at that level where you are stable, strong and mentally prepared is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do,” Team captain Rouse stated.

Breathing is a big part of the stability that she describes. Taking a breath is something we take for granted in our everyday lives. For Rouse and her teammates it is a pivotal aspect of taking that “Perfect” shot.

A breath held too long or not long enough could spell disaster for their shot, and each shot is so precious. The pace of their inhale and exhale means as much as following through with a swing in golf or setting your feet for a three-point shot in basketball.

The singular act that these athletes are executing daily can weigh heavily on their mental endurance. To cope with this the senior relies on her teammates that stand the line with her.

“I know there are going to be days where I am struggling mentally,” Rouse said. “But I know I can look down the line and see girls who are thriving. It motivates me. I know that if they can do it then so can I. We are one big family. When we are traveling, and I can look down the line and see Orange and Blue. It is absolutely amazing.”

UTEP has lofty goals of making the NCAA meet in March of 2020. Rouse has never competed at nationals, and her goal is to perform on that stage.

“The biggest goal is to go to NCAAs,” Rouse stated. “Our program hasn’t done that since 2012, and so it is time for that gap to close. It is time for us to go to that next level, and put UTEP rifle back on the map.”

The Orange and Blue, along with their team captain will be seeking to earn perfection, and make history for the Miners come the spring.

Video by GECU/UTEP

UTEP Rifle inked Grace Fernandez for the 2020 class earlier this week.

The sharp shooter hails from Anchorage, Alaska, where she competed for South Anchorage High School.

Her competitive career was jump-started in her freshman year, after joining her high school’s air rifle team. At the district championship in 2017, the Anchorage native took first individually, and helped her team take second overall.

Fernandez has been a part of the Borealis Bullseye team, which has won state titles in two consecutive years. She won the CMP state championship and took third at the Junior Olympic State Championship in 2019.

The 2020 signee landed a top-10 finish in both 2018 and 2019 at the CMP Regionals, with her squad taking first in 2018. She was a recipient of the 2019 Junior Distinguished Badge, and helped her team maintain a top-10 ranking.

Fernandez has been involved in Alaska’s 4-H program and plans on majoring in biochemistry at UTEP.

For complete coverage of UTEP Rifle, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPrifle (Instagram) and @UTEPrifle (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.

The UTEP rifle team shot a season-best 4597, which was led by a career performance from Jonna Warnken (1155) versus Alaska Fairbanks (4647) on Friday afternoon at the UTEP Rifle Range.

“This team has worked hard and didn’t lose focus,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “They have brought their A-game all semester, and I couldn’t be more proud. Now we can recharge our batteries over the holidays to come back fresh for the spring.”

Warnken posted her best outing in smallbore with a 574 at the line. The freshman turned in a 581 in air to lead the Miners.

UTEP had its best performance of the year with a 2289-smallbore score. The Miners’ previous best (2277) came against the Nanooks earlier in the season.

Amoret McCartney and Mara Rouse both locked in an 1148 aggregate for UTEP.

Jennie Windle also had a career day with an 1137 total score.

The Orange and Blue will now move into 17^th place nationally, just behind UT Martin. Next up, UTEP will travel to Ohio State on January 22, 2020.

The UTEP rifle team will be hosting Ohio State on Saturday, November 9 at 8:30 a.m. MT at the UTEP Rifle Range.

This is the first home match of the season for the Orange and Blue, and is free to the public to attend.

“We are excited to compete against Ohio State on our home range,” Head coach Austin Litherland said. “That doesn’t mean we are letting our guard down. We have been working on improving and calibrating our positions, and sharpening our shot process. We want to push ourselves to achieve those higher scores.”

Morgahn Warner, who is boasting a team-high 1148-season aggregate on the year, leads the Miners. Warner has been a steady shooter for UTEP, shooting no less than 570 in either disciplines during the first four matches of the season. The sophomore leads the squad with a 573-season average in smallbore.

Freshman Jonna Warnken has been a reliable air-rifle shooter, pacing the Orange and Blue with a 583-season average. Warnken also turned in the top air score (587) for UTEP against Air Force (10/26).

The Miners are averaging a 4576-team aggregate through their first four matches. UTEP posted a 4581 total in its last match versus TCU (11/2).

The Buckeyes are coming off of their best performance of the season (4659). Rhiann Travis recorded a team-high 1172 aggregate, and shot a meet-best 580 in smallbore.

Fans can follow along with the action with live stats via this link