COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Navy rifle team (8-4) split a pair of matches over the weekend in Ohio. The Midshipmen started the weekend at the Robert A. Pinn Shooting Range in Akron, Ohio, dropping a four-point decision (4,688-4,684) to host Akron (7-4). The Mids rebounded with their second-best score of the season to defeat Ohio State (4-8), 4,706-4,682, on Sunday at the Hugh W. Wylie Range in Columbus, Ohio.
"We had a good weekend with our first match at Akron and our second at Ohio State," head coach
Mike Anti said.
The Midshipmen fell to 2-2 in the Great American Rifle Conference with the four-point loss to Akron. Against Ohio State, Navy topped the 4,700-point plateau for the third time in the last four matches. It was the second-most points for the Mids this season.
Navy will resume competition in January as the Midshipmen host Ole Miss and Akron at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range on Saturday, Jan. 14.
Match 1 Recap: Akron 4,688, Navy 4,684
Navy opened up the weekend with a four-point loss to GARC opponent Akron. The Midshipmen posted a score of 4,684, but were edged by the Zips who tallied a combined score of 4,688.
"Our match at Akron was a bit challenging for most of our athletes," Anti stated. "There were a few shining moments but for the most part each athlete was slightly below their average which of course led to a sub-average total team score.
Marleigh Duncan was our MVP in Akron with solid scores in both events."
Marleigh Duncan (Wake Forest, N.C.) was the Mids' top shooter on the day. The sophomore posted an aggregate score of 1,175 to lead all Midshipmen.
Parker Haydin (Joshua, Texas),
Clarissa Layland (Granbury, Texas), and
Joshua Potts (Ephrata, Pa.) tied with the second-best aggregate score on the day, tallying 1,168 total points.
Stephanie Milvain (Matthews, N.C.), who was a starter in smallbore, finished with a total score of 1,166, while air rifle starter
Deonte Hayes (Fort Mills, S.C.) rounded out Navy's starters with a aggregate score of 1,149.
Mark Dely (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and
Catherine Dely (Fort Wayne, Ind.) closed out the Mids' shooters with scores of 1,162 and 1,132, respectively.
In the smallbore, Duncan led all starters with a score of 585, while Potts was one point back at 584. Milvain topped 580 with a smallbore total of 581. Haydin tallied 578 points in the discipline, while Layland rounded out the scorers with 576 points. As a team, the Mids posted a combined score of 2,328 points.
Air rifle saw three starters reach the 590-point plateau, helping the Midshipmen to a team score of 2,356 in the event. Layland led the scoring in air rifle with a total of 592 points, while Duncan and Haydin boasted air rifle scores of 590 each. Potts finished with 584 points and Hayes closed out the scoring for the starters with 583 points in the discipline.
Match 2 Recap: Navy 4,706, Ohio State 4,682
In the final match of the weekend, the Midshipmen reached 4,700 points for the third time in the last four meets, defeating the Buckeyes, 4,706-4,682. The score was the second-best tally of the season.
"At Ohio State, we had a good bounce back shooting our second highest overall score for the season," added Anti. "However, when the team looked back at their performance, we really lost an opportunity to shoot a big team score. In the smallbore prone position, we just gave up way too many points. But always fighting and never giving up, our team came back in strong fashion in the standing position (the most difficult position), dropping only 15 total points between our top four athletes. That standing score would beat any of the top three ranked teams in the country. Parker and Marleigh shot incredible, world class scores in the standing position of 199 and 198, respectively.
Parker Haydin was our MVP on Sunday with outstanding scores of 593 in smallbore and 592 in air rifle."
Haydin led all scorers on the day, posting an aggregate score of 1,185. Duncan and Layland followed with matching scores of 1,178. Milvain added a score of 1,165, while Potts closed out the starters with a total of 1,156. Hayes posted a score of 1,154, while C.Dely notched a 1,152 and brother M.Dely finished with a total of 1,134.
The smallbore saw the Midshipmen combine for a total of 2,342. Haydin led all shooters in the smallbore, carding a score of 593, while Duncan and Layland tied for fourth overall with 585 total points. Milvain finished with 579 points with Potts posting a score of 573 in the event.
In air rifle, Navy combined for a team score of 2,362. Duncan and Layland once again matched one another's scores, posting an air rifle tally of 593, while Haydin was one point back with a 592 performance. Milvain notched a score of 586, while Potts closed out the starter's performances with 583 points.
Hayes (572 sb / 582 ar), C.Dely (570 sb / 582 ar), and M.Dely (569 sb / 565 ar) closed out the shooters for the Midshipmen.
