The women’s rifle team is in Colorado Springs, Colo., today to compete against Nebraska and the Air Force Academy, as well as participate in an air rifle competition at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.Head coach Karen Monez said the team is looking to walk away with a great overall team score and higher individual scores.

“I think that right now, we are on an equal playing field with Air Force,” Monez said. “Nebraska will be the challenge.”

In the last tournament, against West Point and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, the Horned Frogs took second place overall and were just three points shy of beating West Point in air rifle, Monez said.

“Erin Lorenzen and Simone Riford both had incredible individual scores,” Monez said. “Erin shot a personal best for air rifle, and Simone had the second-highest individual score for small bore.”

Each member of the purple team, which is made up of six women who compete, will go to Colorado, Monez said.

Emily Paper, a freshman on the purple team, said she hopes to do well so she can qualify for the finals in March.

“I’m not nervous about this weekend’s competition because I know some of the girls from Nebraska, and I compete better against people I know,” Paper said. “Shooting is a pretty small community, so you get to know everyone.”

Monez said along with the tournament with Nebraska and Air Force, the team will shoot in an air rifle competition at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“The tournament is open to the public, but there will be a lot of collegiates there, as well,” Monez said.

Sophomore Tanya Gorin said she feels confident about this tournament even though the team has only trained for two days because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

“I’ve really been in a slump this season, but I got a good break, and since then, I have been shooting really well,” Gorin said.

Paper said she hopes the team will be able to do some fun things along with competing, such as play in the Colorado snow.