ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The ninth-ranked Navy rifle team (6-6, 2-3 GARC) scored 4,694 points, its second-best aggregate score in program history, but ultimately fell to top-ranked Alaska (7-0, 2-0 PRC) who finished with 4,749 points Sunday at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range.

Navy scored 2,317 points in smallbore along with recording a score of 2,377 in air rifle. The 2,377 points in the air rifle discipline tied the second-best mark by the Midshipmen this season. In addition to being the second-best overall total in program history, the 4,694 points by the Mids on Sunday marked the second-straight competition that Navy has scored at least 4,690 points.

Alaska, led by head coach Will Anti - the son of Mike Anti, posted 2,371 points in smallbore in addition to besting the Midshipmen by just one point in air rifle with a team score of 2,378 in the air rifle discipline. The smallbore and overall scores by the Nanooks set a new NCAA record for each of the disciplines, breaking the aggregate scoring record by seven points and the smallbore record by nine. 

"Today we posted another score in the 4,690's anchored by a very strong air rifle team score," said head coach Mike Anti. "Our 2,377 in air rifle was within a point of Alaska, the number one team in the nation. We had a solid smallbore performance with a number of individuals scoring 575 or better. Michael Zanti shot outstanding scores in both events, again leading the team in each event and total scoring. It was a great way to end the fall season and we look forward to the spring and increasing our performance and program records." 

The Midshipmen were led on the day by Michael Zanti (Sr., Norfolk, Va.) who finished fifth in the individual standings with 1,182 points on scores of 585 in smallbore and 597 in air rifle, respectively. Zanti's 597 points in air rifle marked the second-best score for the senior in the discipline this season.

Joining Zanti among the top-10 performers in the competition was the quartet of Mark Amdahl (Sr., Albuquerque, N.M.), Marleigh Duncan (Fr., Wake Forest, N.C.), Brianna Feerick (Sr., Pembroke, Mass.) and McKenzie Shedd (Fr., Burke, Va.).

Shedd finished seventh in the overall standings with 1,172 points, highlighted by a 594-point performance in air rifle that was just two points shy of tying her career-best score in the discipline. The freshman also totaled 578 points in smallbore, just two points shy of her career-best mark in the event set on Friday against North Carolina State.

Amdahl posted 1,170 points, his third-highest overall mark of the season, on 575 points in smallbore and a stellar 595-point mark in air rifle. The senior's score of 595 in air rifle tied his second-best score in the event this year along with being the fourth time this season that Amdahl has recorded at least 594 points in air rifle competition.

Duncan posted the ninth-highest overall score in the competition with 1,168 points on scores of 577 in smallbore and 591 in air rifle. The 577 points in smallbore tied the second-best score for the freshman in the discipline this season while the 591-point mark in air rifle was her second-best score in the discipline through nine events.

Rounding out the Midshipmen presence in the top-10 performers of the competition was Feerick with 1,161 points. The senior tallied a mark of 577 points in smallbore along with a score of 584 in air rifle, with the air rifle score being just four points shy of her career-best mark in the discipline.

Outside of the starting five for Navy, Stephanie Milvain (Fr., Matthews, N.C.) turned in a stellar 1,153-point performance on scores of 578 in smallbore and 575 in air rifle. The 578 points in smallbore fell just one-point shy of tying a career-best mark in the discipline for the freshman while her 1,153 points fell just one-point shy of tying a career-best aggregate score for the newcomer.

Deonte Hayes (So., Fort Mill, S.C.) also turned in a strong performance for the Mids, totaling an aggregate score of 1,145 on 561 points in smallbore and 584 in air rifle. The 584 points in air rifle tied a career-best score for the sophomore while his 1,145-point overall mark was his best total through four competitions this season.

Joshua Potts (Fr., Ephrata, Pa.) also scored 1,145 points in the aggregate category, falling just seven points shy of his career-high overall total. Additionally, the newcomer posted 574 points in smallbore and 571 in air rifle with his smallbore score setting a new career-high mark in the discipline.

Mark Dely (So., Fort Wayne, Ind.) scored 1,135 points on scores of 560 in smallbore and 575 in air rifle, setting a new career-high in each of the three categories. Rounding out Navy's participants against Alaska was Laurel Kuhne (Sr., Everett, Pa.) who participated in only air rifle, scoring 586 points in the discipline for her highest mark in the discipline this season.

Alaska, who finished with each of the top-four performers in the competition, was led on the day by Rylan Kissell who scored a world-class mark of 1,190 points on scores of 592 in smallbore and 598 in air rifle. Sara Karasova was next for the Nanooks with an aggregate score of 1,186 on a competition-best 596 points in smallbore and a score of 590 in air rifle.

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Sunday's match against Alaska concluded the 2021 fall season for the Midshipmen. Navy will return to action for the USA Shooting Winter Air Gun Championships December 8-12 prior to hosting a Junior Olympics Qualifier in Annapolis on January 15. The Mids next intercollegiate match is slated for January 22 as they welcome national-power West Virginia to the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range.