ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy rifle (3-10, 1-7 GARC) finished the first day of the GARC Championships with a team score of 2,308 points in the smallbore portion of the championship. Michael Zanti (Jr., Norfolk, Va.) led the Midshipmen with a 580 in the discipline. Navy finishes off the conference championship on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. from the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range.
 
West Virginia leads the team standings after day one with a total of 2,346 points with Kentucky just behind with 2,338 points. Army rounds out the top three after scoring 2,330 points and Memphis is fourth with a 2,327. Ole Miss and North Carolina State are tied for fifth with matching 2,319s, while Navy is tied with Akron in seventh with 2,308 points. Nebraska rounds out the smallbore standings with 2,297 points.
 
"We had a decent start to the conference championships," head coach Mike Anti said. "No real big individual scores but everyone had very consistent solid performances. I was very happy with both our seniors' performances. For their last match in their collegiate careers, both Torrance Kang and Luke Knollinger shot very good scores and ended with a deep 10 for their last shot!"
 
Zanti's 580 marked the ninth time in 11 competitions this season where the junior reached the 580 mark. He has also reached 580 points in smallbore in each of his last four appearances.
 
Following the 580 from Zanti, the senior pair of Torrance Kang (Columbia, Md.) and Luke Knollinger (Valley Grove, W. Va.) each fired 577s on Saturday. Knollinger's 577 was his second-highest output of the season following a 579 against Kentucky this past November. Kang's smallbore total was her third-best total of the year after posting a 581 and a 582 in her last two appearances.
 
The Midshipmen's final counting score for the team total came from Gabriella Mayes (So., Rio Rancho, N.M.) with her 574, while Clarissa Layland (Fr., Granbury, Texas) notched a 571. As a non-starter, Brianna Feerick (Jr., Pembroke, Mass.) fired a 578 for her new career-high.
 
Navy also had Mark Dely (Fr., Fort Wayne, Ind.), Deonte Hayes (Fr., Fort Mill, S.C.), Mason MacKenzie (So., Henderson, Md.) and Will Wilkins (So., Lemoore, Calif.) compete as non-starters on Saturday. Dely posted a 548, Hayes notched a 560, MacKenzie scored 564 points and Wilkins rounded out Navy's shooters with a 561.
 
The Midshipmen's final portion of their team schedule is set for Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. for the air rifle portion of the GARC Championships.