A weekend win helped preserve the recent winning streak for the Horned Frogs rifle team and put the squad one step closer to a bid in the NCAA Rifle Championships.

The championships start March 14, and after shooting an aggregate score of 4,627 on Saturday, head coach Karen Monez feels confident that her team will receive an invite.

“We have to officially wait for the qualifier results and make sure that we get an invitation,” Monez said.

But, Monez said, as of right now she thinks they will have an invite.

The rifle team shot consistently Saturday to defeat the University of Nevada by a single point, 4,627-4,626.

TCU and Nevada tied earlier in the season, each having an aggregate score of 4,614.

This time, however, TCU’s shooters were able to outperform the Wolfpack by seven points in the smallbore rifle event.

However, the Wolfpack came back in the air rifle competition and defeated the Horned Frogs by six points, 2,337-2,331, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the prior deficit.

Early on it took the Horned Frogs some time to get into a rhythm. Nevada’s shooters came out firing and had a small lead over TCU following the first of three rounds in smallbore. However, TCU’s shooters did not get discouraged, kept their focus and mounted a comeback in the second and third rounds.

“I had a rough start, a really rough start,” sophomore Lauren Sullivan said. “I knew that I had to keep trying and do my best for the team.”

TCU did just that.

Sophomores Emily Paper and Erin Lorenzen led TCU in smallbore, shooting a 578 and 576, respectively. Sophomore Simone Riford came in right behind shooting a 575.

“I thought that we all just kind of played off each other,” Riford said.

In air rifle, there would be no slow start from the Horned Frogs. Each member shot a personal score of more than 580, with Lorenzen leading with 586. Riford followed her exceptional performance in the smallbore, with an even better round in the air rifle, shooting a 583.

Both Paper and Sullivan were close behind their three teammates and tied at 581.

During air rifle, Riford had to take a break for a few minutes and get her focus back.

“I was frustrated about messing up the last part on smallbore,” Riford said.

Monez talked to Riford, who then proceeded to finish the match with an aggregate score of 1,158.

“I was trying to help her get back on track,” Monez said. “She was becoming a little bit too emotional about her shots, which doesn’t work well in this game. Whether it is a good shot or a bad shot, you have to put it behind you and move on.”

This was the last meet of the regular season for the Horned Frogs.