2/28/2003 - Rifle
Navy Rifle Plays Host to the MAC Championship Saturday

After completing the dual match portion of its schedule with a 10-1 mark, the Navy rifle team will play host to the Middle Atlantic Rifle Conference Championship Saturday at the Bancroft Hall Range. The Mids will be on the line at 8 a.m. in smallbore followed by a 10:45 a.m. appearance on the line in air rifle.

Twelve teams from the conference will travel to Annapolis for the annual league championship. Navy will compete square off against Coast Guard in the master division, one of five divisions throughout the field.

The foursome for Navy will consist of captain James Kauber (Burlington, Wash.), junior Marta Jung (Reno, Nev.) and sophomores Matt Albright (Shelton, Conn.) and Mike Miller (Albuquerque, N.M.). Kauber will be shooting his last home match before travelling to West Point, N.Y., in two weeks with Albright as singles competitors at the NCAA Championship. The Navy air rifle team also qualified for the NCAA Championship March 14-15.

In addition, sophomores Iain MacLeod (Brunswick, Ga.) and Kevin Wilson (Freeport, N.Y.) and freshmen Josh Bettis (Hixson, Tenn.) and Billy Carson (McDonough, Ga.) will compete as individuals in the match.

"We're using this championship as a preparation for the NCAAs in two weeks," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "We need to have a good attitude heading in and be willing to post a good performance in the smallbore, as it is our last competition of the year in that discipline. It's also a matter of respect and credibility for the program to do well in this match."

Other schools participating Saturday include Canisius, John Jay, Loyola (Md.), MIT, Norwich, Penn State, University of the Sciences (Philadelphia, Pa.), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, VMI and Wentworth.