EL PASO, Texas – No. 12 UTEP Rifle opened the 2026-27 season with a convincing victory over Schreiner University on Saturday at the UTEP Rifle Range. The Miners fired a 4661 aggregate to defeat the Mountaineers, who finished with a 3576.
UTEP outshot Schreiner in both disciplines, posting a 2308-1602 advantage in smallbore before firing a 2353 in air rifle compared with Schreiner's 1974.
Returning standout
Kameron Wells led the field as the match's top overall shooter, firing an aggregate score of 1179. Her sister,
Kennedy Wells, followed with a 1169, while
Paige Hildebrandt turned in a 1167.
Julia Czernik recorded a 1154 aggregate, and
Xan Keel finished with an 1148.
Three Miners also made their UTEP and collegiate debuts Saturday. Sophomore transfer
Molly Mitchell fired an 1150 aggregate, freshman
Alessandra Cleveland followed closely with an 1149, and freshman
Gracie Robinson rounded out the UTEP lineup with an 1141.
The Wells sisters occupied the top two spots in both disciplines. Kameron led the field in smallbore with a 587, while Kennedy followed with a 577. The sisters each fired a 592 in air rifle, with Kennedy earning the top spot behind 43 centers compared with Kameron's 40.
| SMALLBORE |
AIR RIFLE |
Ka. Wells - 587-35x *
Ke. Wells - 577-26x *
Hildebrandt - 576-22x *
Mitchell - 572-29x
Czernik - 569-23x
Keel - 568-24x *
Cleveland - 560-16x *
Robinson - 557-9x
*counter |
Ke. Wells - 592-43x *
Ka. Wells - 592-40x *
Hildbrandt - 591-41x
Cleveland - 589-38x
Czernik - 585-41x *
Robinson - 584-37x *
Keel - 580-37x *
Mitchell - 578-32x
*counter |
UP NEXT
UTEP continues its season-opening homestand next week with a pair of head-to-head matches against two of the nation's top-ranked programs. The Miners will host No. 7 Alaska Fairbanks on Friday, Oct. 23, before welcoming No. 3 TCU on Saturday, Oct. 24. Both opponents' rankings are from the CRCA preseason poll, and both matches will take place at the UTEP Rifle Range.
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