ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After being on the road for its last six contests, the 11th-ranked Navy rifle team (7-5, 2-2 GARC) returns home for its first home match in over a month to face top-ranked West Virginia (6-0, 5-0 GARC) on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range.
 
The Midshipmen started the season with back-to-back home competitions but have not competed in Annapolis since Saturday, October 12 against Memphis in a 4,664-4,662 victory. Navy also continues its tough schedule and takes on its ninth opponent ranked in the top 15 of the CRCA rankings, including its second-straight match against the No. 1 ranked team in the country and third overall match against the No. 1 team. Kentucky was ranked No. 1 last weekend when the Midshipmen traveled to Lexington, Ky., and TCU was the top-ranked team in Navy's season opener after the Horned Frogs last year's national title.
 
Navy comes into the weekend following a loss on the road to Kentucky, 4,714-4,660. The Midshipmen currently have the seventh-best overall scoring average in the country with an average of 4,661.8, which is paced by the seventh-best air rifle average in the nation at 2,355.0. On the season, Navy has reached the 2,355 mark in air rifle on five different occasions, including its last three outings. At the start of the month, the Midshipmen set the program record for best air rifle score with a 2,364 and last weekend they had three shooters score at least 590 points in the discipline. In smallbore, Navy ranks ninth overall in the NCAA with an average of 2,306.8.
 
Coming into the weekend, the Midshipmen have four shooters averaging over 1,160 points this season in aggregate scoring. The sophomore trio of Gabriella Mayes, Michael Zanti and Mark Amdahl have paced Navy during the first half of the season. Mayes leads the team with a 577.0 average in smallbore and has a team-leading aggregate mark of 1,165.4. Zanti leads the way with a 589.1 air rifle average and he is second on the team in overall average at 1,165.1. Amdahl ranks third with an average of 1,163.5 and Torrance Kang rounds out the Midshipmen's shooters with averages over 1,160 with a mark of 1,162.5.
 
West Virginia is the lone team in the country to shoot over 4,700 in each event this season and the Mountaineers are coming off of a 4,710-4,666 victory against No. 7 North Carolina State. West Virginia currently leads the country with an aggregate average of 4,712.3 and a smallbore average of 2,337.5 while ranking second in air rifle at 2,374.8. The Mountaineers have shooters ranked in the top 10 in combined average and they have six shooters with averages over 1,170 points. Milica Babic is the only shooter on the team with an average of over 1,180 as she comes into this weekend's match with an average of 1,180.8 and her average of 596.3 in air rifle ranks second in the country.
 
In the all-time series between Navy and West Virginia, the Mountaineers hold a 29-19 lead over the Midshipmen. Last season in Morgantown, W. Va., West Virginia defeated Navy at home 4,706-4,660 in the Midshipmen's second-to-last regular-season contest of the year.
 
This weekend will be the final head-to-head match of 2019 for the Midshipmen. Navy will have competitors in the field at the USA Shooting Winter Airgun in December and then the Midshipmen will host the Junior Olympics Tryout in Annapolis on Jan. 11. Navy returns to head-to-head competition on Jan. 17 against Ole Miss at home.