EL PASO, Texas – UTEP rifle kicked off the new year in emphatic fashion Saturday, earning a redemption victory over Air Force, 4715–4703, at the UTEP Rifle Range. The Miners outperformed the Falcons in both disciplines, posting a 2336–2325 advantage in smallbore before edging Air Force 2379–2378 in air rifle.
The win marked UTEP's second straight victory and continued a strong stretch for the Miners, who have now fired a 4700-plus aggregate in four consecutive matches. Saturday's score also represented the fifth 4700 aggregate performance in program history—all achieved under head coach Andrea Palafox.
The victory also avenged a narrow setback from the teams' previous meeting in Colorado (Oct. 11, 2025), where the Falcons slipped past the Miners by a single point, 4690–4689.
UTEP's
Kameron Wells delivered a standout performance, claiming overall top shooter honors with an 1184 aggregate. Air Force's Lily Miller led the field in smallbore with a 588, while Lily Wytko paced air rifle with a 598.
The Miners placed three shooters among the aggregate top five, with Wells leading the way,
Carlee Valenta finishing third with an 1181, and
Xan Keel placing fourth at 1180. Keel also turned in an all-around personal-best day, recording career highs in smallbore (583), air rifle (596), and aggregate (1180).
In smallbore, Wells was the runner-up with a 587, Valenta followed in third at 585, and Keel rounded out the top five. Julia Czernik added a highlight performance of her own, notching a personal-record 580 in the discipline.
UTEP also made a strong showing in air rifle, as Wells (597), Valenta (596-48x), and Keel (596-44x) finished second, third, and fourth, respectively.
Rounding out the Miners' lineup, Kennedy Wells recorded an 1168 aggregate, Czernik posted an 1165, and Paige Hildebrandt added an 1158 in the match.
| SMALLBORE |
AIR RIFLE |
|
Czernik - 580 *
Hildebrandt - 573
Keel - 584 *
Valenta - 585 *
Ka. Wells - 587 *
Ke. Wells - 578 *
*counter
|
Czernik - 585 *
Hildebrandt - 585
Keel - 596 *
Valenta - 596 *
Ka. Wells - 597 *
Ke. Wells - 590 *
*counter
|
UP NEXT
UTEP travels to Fort Worth, Texas, for a two-day slate on TCU's campus. The Miners will go head-to-head with the Horned Frogs on January 31, before being joined by Schreiner University for a tri-match on February 1.
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