ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The eighth-ranked Navy rifle team (6-7, 2-4 in the GARC) set a new team record for overall and air rifle scoring, while standout senior Michael Zanti (Norfolk, Va.) shot the highest-individual score in program history in a narrow 4,739-4,712 loss to No. 2 West Virginia (10-0, 6-0 in the GARC) Saturday at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range.
 
The 4,712-point total on Saturday by the Mids marked the first time in program history they have eclipsed the 4,700-point plateau, besting the previous-best overall score by 13 points. Additionally, Navy posted a score of 2,382 points in the air rifle discipline, surpassing the previous program record of 2,381 set earlier this season.
 
Navy bested West Virginia with its aforementioned 2,382 points in air rifle, as the Mountaineers totaled 2,375 points. WVU scored 2,364 points in smallbore, compared to 2,330  by the Mids to secure the victory and remain undefeated.
 
"We had a really great performance today from the entire team," said head coach Mike Anti. "We set a new program record in three areas. Michael Zanti increased the individual record by one point from 1,185 to 1,186. The team shot a program record in air rifle by one point and also increased our total team score by 13 points to a 4,712. This is the first time we have broken the 4,700-point mark. This was a team goal from the beginning of the season, so I am extremely proud of their accomplishment.
 
"Michael (Zanti) again led the team with a very impressive 1,186, but just one point behind him was freshman Marleigh Duncan who shot a personal best in both events. Marleigh shot an outstanding 599 in air, which is a world-class score. Today the team showed what they are made of and are capable of performing at a higher level. We were also very excited to beat the third-ranked team, West Virginia, in the air rifle event by seven points. Even with our performance today, it is no time to rest our laurels. We have a couple of weeks before Army and will continue to train our efficiency and intention in preparation for the Star Match."
 
Zanti, who previously held the aggregate-scoring program record of 1,185 points, surpassed that total by a point to set a new program-best mark of 1,186 in the 60/60 era (since 2006). The senior standout finished tied atop the individual leader board after tallying a 598-point score in air rifle along with adding 588 points in smallbore. Zanti's mark in the air rifle discipline fell just one point short of his career high while his performance in smallbore was just two points shy of his career-best score.
 
Marleigh Duncan (Fr., Wake Forest, N.C.) finished with the third-best score in the competition, totaling a 1,185-point mark on 586 points in smallbore and 599 in air rifle. All three totals set new career bests for Duncan, who finished just one-point shy of a perfect score in the air rifle discipline and tallied the second-best individual total in program history, tying Zanti's previous program-best mark.
 
Following Duncan and Zanti in the individual ranks was Clarissa Layland (So., Granbury, Texas) who tallied an aggregate mark of 1,175 points, a new career-best score, along with compiling a new career-high total in smallbore at 583 and tying her career-best mark in air rifle at 592 points.
 
Mark Amdahl (Sr., Albuquerque, N.M.) finished with 1,168 points on a 576-point score in smallbore along with tallying 592 points in air rifle. Stephanie Milvain (Fr., Matthews, N.C.) matched the effort of Amdahl by also totaling a 1,168-point overall score on 580 points in smallbore and a mark of 588 in air rifle. All three scores by Milvain marked new career-high totals for the newcomer.
 
McKenzie Shedd (Fr., Burke, Va.) finished just behind Amdahl and Milvain at 1,165 points on marks of 572 in smallbore and 593 in air rifle. Joshua Potts (Fr., Ephrata, Pa.) netted a new career-best score at 1,153 points on totals of 569 in smallbore and 584 in air rifle.
 
Rounding out the top performers for the Mids was the trio of Mason MacKenzie (Jr., Henderson, Md.), Brianna Feerick (Sr., Pembroke, Mass.) and Deonte Hayes (So., Fort Mill, S.C.) who posted overall scores of 1,149, 1,145 and 1,141, respectively. Laurel Kuhne (Sr., Everett, Pa.), who participated only in air rifle, matched her third-best total in the discipline this season at 583 points.
 
Verena Zaisberger led the second-ranked Mountaineers, finishing tied with Zanti for the highest-point total in the competition at 1,186 points. Akihito Shimizu and Jared Eddy joined Zaisberger to round out West Virginia's presence in the top-five performers of the competition with 1,185 and 1,184 points, respectively.
 
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Navy is slated to return to action Feb. 5 as it travels to West Point for the annual Star Match against rival Army. Competition is slated to begin at 9 a.m.