MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Navy rifle team (10-5) capped off its 2018-19 campaign with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA National Championships following the final day of competition on Saturday inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W. Va.
The Midshipmen finished with an air rifle score of 2,344 points, which was seventh in the field, to compile a two-day aggregate score of 4,642 points.
"I am very proud of our team," head coach
Mike Anti said after the national championship. "We had a great season and to cap off the season by qualifying for the NCAA Championships made it even more special. The team gave it their all at the championships and we will chalk this up to a great experience that we can build on for next season. We look forward to future success in the years to come."
Daniel Enger (So., Walla Walla, Wash.) had the best score for Navy on Saturday afternoon following a 588, to finish with a team-best 1,161 points during the national championship. During his 60 air rifle shots, Enger had a pair of 10-shot segments, where he missed the 10 circle just once to finish with 99s. Throughout his round, he did not shoot below a 97 in his six 10-shot segments.
Torrance Kang (So., Columbia) finished just one-point behind Enger with a 587. She had a perfect 10-shot segment during her second segment of the round to help her post the second-best score for Navy on Saturday. Kang compiled a two-day total of 1,157 points.
Michael Zanti (Fr., Norfolk, Va.) fired a 586 on Saturday, to compile the second-best score for the Midshipmen throughout the national championship with a total of 1,159. Zanti started strong in air rifle with back-to-back 100s during his first 20 shots but finished with a pair of 97s and two 96s to finish out his first collegiate season.
Kestrel Kuhne (Jr., Everett, Pa.) recorded Navy's final counting score of the championship with an air rifle mark of 583. Kuhne notched 99s in her fourth and fifth segments of her round to pace her 583. She finished with an aggregate score of 1,158.
Josh Watson (Sr., Enterprise, Ala.) rounded out the Midshipmen at the national championship with a 578 on Saturday and he finished with a total score of 1,155 points to cap off his collegiate career. Watson's best 10-shot score came during his second-to-last 10-shot segment of the round with a 99.
Enger finished 24th overall in the 44-shooter field with Kang placing 27th. Zanti just missed the top 30 in 32nd, while Kuhne placed 37th. Watson rounded out the field in 44th.
TCU swept the weekend with two individual national champions and the overall team national title. After Elizabeth Marsh won the smallbore title on Friday for the Horned Frogs, TCU had the final two shooters in the air rifle final with Kristen Hemphill winning the final with a score of 248.2 points.
Rosemary Kramer of Georgia Southern -- who was competing as an individual at the championship -- had a near perfect score in her 60-shot round with a 599. Kramer started the day with five-straight 100s, before posting a 99 in her final segment of the championship.
Air Force and TCU finished with 2,368 points each, but the Falcons edged the Horned Frog by decimal points for the highest air rifle team score of the day.
Overall, TCU finished with 4,699 points to win the national title, while West Virginia finished seven points back with 4,692 points. Following its strong air rifle performance, Air Force rounded out the top three with 4,687 points.
