Jan. 14, 2006
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy rifle team had a strong showing up-and-down the lineup in defeating the Coast Guard Academy by almost 300 points, 4,635 to 4,363, at the Bancroft Hall rifle range. All four Navy shooters fired at least a 571 in smallbore and at least a 579 in air rifle, helping Navy's record improve to 4-0 overall.
"This was one of our best performances of the year," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "I was pleased with our effort. We are going in the right direction and improving every day. Hopefully, we can come out tomorrow and shoot another good score."
Navy won both disciplines, outscoring Coast Guard, 2,298 to 2,191, in the smallbore competition. Junior Chris Schneider (Fort Mill, S.C.) took home medalist honors with a 578. Josh Albright (Shelton, Conn.) followed with a 576, despite shooting with a sprained knee suffered over break. Freshman Lisa Kunzelman (Constantia, N.Y.) shot a 573 and Nicholas Hogberg (Stratford, Conn.) rounded out the scoring with a 571.
In the air rifle discipline, Navy topped Coast Guard, 2,337 to 2,172. Albright led the way with a 590, while Schneider and Christina Schade (Eagle River, Alaska) added 584. Kunzelman tallied a 579 to round out the Navy scoring.
"I thought Christina Schade shot very well today. This was the first time she was in the counting group and she responded very well," said Kelley. "I thought we were very consistent today. We didn't have great scores, but we didn't have any real bad ones either."
Kelley also got a boost when junior Sarah Bergman (Fort Mill, S.C.) was in the lineup for the first time this season. Bergman is recovering from eye problems and shot very well, despite not being in the counting group. Bergman fired a 592 in the air rifle.
"It's a big relief that she is back. We didn't have her in the lineup today, but her performance was very encouraging," said Kelley. "She is such a trooper. She's been coming in early and staying after practice and knows what it takes to be successful. She will provide a big boost to our lineup as we continue on this year."
Navy will compete again tomorrow, against Akron in the Palmyra Invitational. Action gets underway on Sunday at 3:00 p.m., in Palmyra, Pa.
# GO NAVY #
