Jan. 17, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The fifth-ranked Navy rifle team kicked off its second half of the season with a victory, defeating Coast Guard, 4596 to 4359. The win improves Navy's overall record to 11-0. The match was the team's first competition since Nov. 7.

"It wasn't too bad of a start for our first match back. It wasn't the score we would have liked to have had, but it was adequate," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "We still have some things to work out in smallbore, and the air was not exceptional, but we were happy to have five scores over 580."

The Mids outscored Coast Guard, 2267 to 2164, in the smallbore discipline. Lisa Kunzelman tallied a 576 to garner medalist honors. Chris Burleson scored a 570, Kenan Wang added a 564 and Alex Karacsonyi rounded out Navy's scoring with a 557. Kelley also got a strong effort on the non-counting team by Alison Lankes (566) and Liz Leckie (564).

Navy followed up its smallbore showing with a good 2329 in the air rifle to outdistance Coast Guard's 2195. Lankes and Kunzelman shared medalist honors with a 583. Karacsonyi scored a 582 and Burleson tallied a 581.

"It's good to see Lankes have a good season in the air rifle. She has really worked hard and really helped out the scoring team," said Kelley. "We still have a lot to work on and improve, and we will get our chances with two more meets this week. It's time to start turning it on."

Navy will battle Akron on Sunday at the Palmyra Tournament in Palmyra, Pa., beginning at 2:30 pm. On Monday, the Mids will host defending national champion Alaska at 2:30 pm.

# GO NAVY #