The TCU Rifle team is heading into the 2017 season with their eyes on a national title and a focus on continuity, experience and confidence.

The Horned Frogs return four of their five starting shooters from last season and have welcomed the addition of first-year student Elizabeth Marsh as the fifth starter. All five of the team’s starters are on the national or national junior teams, with Mindy Miles on Team U.S.A and Marsh, Rachel Garner, Ariana Grabowski, and Casey Lutz on the National Junior team.

This level of pedigree and international experience is something Head Coach Karen Monez said,  “helps them with competing in the collegiate matches especially NCAA, selection, and conference matches.”

The amount of experience on the team as a whole, with nine of the 10 members having at least one trip to the NCAA championships, is something Miles said, “will get us ahead of the teams that have a lot of newcomers.”

The one newcomer for TCU, Marsh is already receiving praise from her teammates. Miles described her as “extremely talented.” Marsh has experience on both the national and international levels, winning the national junior championship in 2013 and earning two gold medals at the National Junior Olympic Championships in 2015.

Junior Rachel Garner, who won the smallbore National Junior Championship this past spring, also spoke glowingly of Marsh saying she, “has a lot of international experience which most upperclassmen don’t even have.”

On top of the background of the roster, the team is brimming with confidence and, as Garner said, “chomping at the bit,” to get the season started.

Miles, who is one of five NCAA Rifle shooters to ever record a perfect score of 600 in the Air Rifle event, said she is confident in the team too. 

“I know we’re going to do well,” Miles said.  “The team has been performing very well in our preseason warmup matches with great team cohesion and great shots going down range.”

After placing second in the NCAA championships to West Virginia in back-to-back seasons, the team certainly has their eyes on its match in Morgantown Nov 4. 

To begin the season though, they will first face the Memphis Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels in two road matches at Memphis, Saturday Sept. 30th and at Ole Miss, Sunday Oct. 1st.