ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After starting its 2020-21 season last weekend, Navy (1-0) continues its campaign at home with its GARC opener on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. against North Carolina State (0-0) inside the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range. No fans are permitted at the event.
 
The Midshipmen began their season with a 4,658-4,493 victory over VMI last Saturday. Michael Zanti paced Navy to the win en route to being named as the NAAA Athlete of the Week, presented by Northrop Grumman. The junior finished with career highs in all three scoring categories, which included a 596 in air rifle that was a point shy of tying the program record. Zanti also posted a 584 in smallbore to finish with a 1,180 in aggregate scoring during the Midshipmen's opener.
 
Navy's junior class led the way last week as the trio of Zanti, Mark Amdahl and Gabriella Mayes all finished as the top-three scorers in each scoring category. Each of the three finished with at least 590 points in air rifle as Amdahl fired a 593 and Mayes finished with a 590 in the discipline. In smallbore, Amdahl notched a total of 578 with Mayes following at 574 points.
 
During the season opener, the Midshipmen racked up a total of 2,305 points in smallbore and 2,353 points in air rifle.
 
North Carolina State opens its 2020-21 season this weekend after finishing with a record of 4-7 a year ago. The Wolfpack's wins last year came against VMI, North Georgia, Memphis and Tennessee-Martin. After the team missed the NCAA National Championship in 2020, Makenzie Sheffield earned a spot into the national championship in air rifle during her freshmen season. North Carolina State finished seventh overall in the field at the GARC Championships after notching a total score of 4,657 points. The Wolfpack totaled 2,298 points in smallbore and 2,359 points in air rifle, which was sixth overall in the nine-team field.
 
Entering this season, North Carolina State has six returners back from last season as head coach Emily Holsopple begins her third season at the helm of the Wolfpack program.
 
The Midshipmen have controlled the all-time series against North Carolina State holding a record of 27-3 overall. In 2019 in a neutral-site match at The Citadel, Navy upended a 15th-ranked Wolfpack squad in a 4,649-4,621 contest in Charleston, S.C.
 
Following this week's match, Navy currently has over a month break until its next match against Kentucky on November 21 in Annapolis.