Ole Miss Rifle’s Gracie Dinh shot a perfect score against Murray State on Saturday, Jan. 10 in Murray, Ky. The sophomore joined Lea Horvath and current Rebel Audrey Gogniat as the only women in Ole Miss Rifle history to shoot a perfect 600 in air rifle.
Dinh spoke about her perfect score in an interview with The Daily Mississippian.
“It’s my first perfect score in a college match,” Dinh said. “I’ve done it before in high school, but it feels different when you’re in college because
then everything’s riding on a championship and trying to get there and win.”
Dinh keeps her mindset simple going into each competition.
“I go into it hoping that I have a good day, and I don’t really think about whether or not it’s gonna be a good day,” Dinh said. “I’m just trying to do my job.”
Dinh’s perfect score came during Ole Miss’ first competition since before the Christmas holiday. The rifle team has a shortened winter break; athletes return to Oxford a week before other students for competitions, though they still train individually while at home. Since classes were not yet underway during the match against Murray State, Dinh was able to fully focus on her shooting.
“The semester hadn’t started yet, so there was no stress of school,” Dinh said. “I could just go in there and not be worried about any exams or quizzes coming up. I could just shoot.”
The athlete also shot a 596 in small bore against Murray State. She does not favor one event over the other. Her biggest strength lies not in the gun but in her mind.
“I’m not really better (with) one gun or the other,” Dinh said. “I think my strength is mostly from my ability to just dig in and really be tough, because I do get myself in some bad situations sometimes, but I can pull myself out pretty quickly.”
Last season, the team finished No. 4 in the country. Dinh and the team are rolling again in 2025-26. She is cautiously optimistic that this could be the year the program brings home the gold on a national level.
“I think we can (win the championship),” Dinh said. “Nothing’s ever set in stone, but we definitely have the ability to.”
