UTEP Athletics

No. 7 UTEP Rifle Welcomes Nation-Leading Nebraska to the Sun City on Saturday

11/14/2025 8:00:00 PM

EL PASO, Texas – No. 7 UTEP Rifle returns home for a marquee top-10 showdown this weekend, hosting No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the UTEP Rifle Range. The match will feature a single relay, with the range opening at 8 a.m. MT and sighters beginning at 9 a.m. MT.

SCHEDULE
SMALLBORE	AIR RIFLE
9:00 AM - Preparation & Sighters 9:15-10:45 AM - Match Fire	11:30 AM - Preparation & Sighters 11:45 AM-1:00 PM - Match Fire

MINERS RIDE RECORD-BREAKING WEEKEND INTO HOME MATCH
The Miners enter the weekend coming off the most impressive two-day performance in program history, highlighted by a pair of school records and a perfect air rifle performance.

Saturday – Wells Fires Program's First-Ever Perfect 600
UTEP posted a 4691 aggregate to finish third in a highly competitive quad against No. 10 Murray State, No. 17 Akron and No. 14 Ohio State. The story of the match was sophomore Kameron Wells, who became the first Miner ever to fire a perfect 600 in air rifle, finishing with a career-best 1180 aggregate to take second overall.

UTEP led all teams with a 2381 in air rifle, while Akron won smallbore. Wells' flawless 600–54x was the top air rifle score of the day and one of the top marks nationally this season.

Sunday – UTEP Sets School Aggregate Record
The Miners followed Saturday's breakout with an even bigger statement, firing a school-record 4717 aggregate to place second behind reigning national champion and then-No. 3 West Virginia (4723).

Two Miners rewrote the UTEP record book:

Carlee Valenta set a new school record in smallbore (592), surpassing a 20-year record.
Kameron Wells matched the previous record (590).
Both shooters surpassed Valenta's earlier-season aggregate record (1185); Valenta led all competitors with an 1190, followed closely by Wells' 1188.

UTEP scored 2339 in smallbore and 2378 in air rifle—both key pieces of the record-setting total. WVU led in all three scoring areas, but the Miners' precision and balance across the lineup brought them within six points of the reigning champs.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
UTEP (No. 7) – The Miners continue to climb following its record-setting performances in Columbus. The Miners are averaging 2319.4 in smallbore, which sits 15th nationally, and 2374.8 in air rifle, good for ninth in the country. Their 4694.2 aggregate average ranks 11th nationally.

Individually, junior Carlee Valenta leads the team across all three scoring categories. She is averaging 581.8 in smallbore to rank 55th nationally, 596.8 in air rifle to stand ninth nationally, and 1178.6 in aggregate to sit 32nd in the NCAA.

Nebraska (No. 1) – The Huskers arrive in El Paso as the nation's top-ranked team and the statistical leader in multiple disciplines. The Huskers own the highest smallbore average in the country at 2368 and also rank sixth nationally in air rifle with a 2381.333 average. Their 4741.333 aggregate average leads all Division I programs by a significant margin.

Nebraska is paced by standout shooter Emma Rhode, who enters the weekend averaging 592.222 in smallbore to rank third nationally, 597.667 in air rifle to rank sixth, and 1190.000 in aggregate to rank fourth in the country.

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