ANNAPOLIS, Md. – No. 15 Navy rifle (3-8, 1-6 GARC) closes out its GARC schedule this weekend with a virtual match against No. 9 Memphis (0-5, 0-2 GARC) at 8 a.m. on Saturday. The Midshipmen will shoot in the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range, while the Tigers will shoot in Oxford, Miss., as they are also competing against No. 3 Ole Miss in a shoulder-to-shoulder competition. No fans are allowed to attend the competition.
 
Navy comes into the weekend following a loss to rival Army in the annual Star Match. The Midshipmen compiled a five-count score of 5,799 points to go along with their four-count NCAA total of 4,648 points. Michael Zanti paced Navy with a total score of 1,164 points, while freshman Clarissa Layland had a career day with an aggregate total of 1,163 points. Layland notched career bests in smallbore and air rifle with scores of 572 and 591, respectively.
 
Zanti has guided the Midshipmen all season in all three scoring areas. Heading into the virtual match, Zanti has team-leading averages in smallbore (581.0), air rifle (592.4) and combined (1,173.4). The junior has also been the lone shooter for Navy to start in both disciplines through each of the first eight contests.
 
In overall scoring, the Midshipmen have three shooters averaging at least 1,160 points while boasting six shooters with an average of at least 1,150 points.
 
Memphis enters this weekend having shot twice since the turn of the calendar year. The Tigers scored 4,677 points in the nine-team Withrow Open and then lost a 4,706-4,677 contest against Kentucky. Memphis ranks 11th in the nation with an overall average of 4,668.3, which includes a 2,312.8 in smallbore and a 2,355.5 in air rifle. Taylor Gibson has paced the Tigers throughout the 2020-21 season with an overall average of 1,177.0 to rank 15th in the nation. Gibson also leads the team with a 584.0 in smallbore and a 593.0 in air rifle.
 
Following the virtual match this weekend, the Midshipmen have one final shoulder-to-shoulder competition of the regular season with the NCAA Qualifier against No. 12 North Carolina State on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range.