ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy rifle team (11-7) tallied 4,701 total points in the NCAA Qualifier at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range, defeating NC State (4-7) and John Jay (6-9). The Midshipmen topped the Wolfpack, 4,701-4,659, while besting the Bloodhounds, 4,701-4,292.
Navy finished the day with seven of the top 10 shooters, including five of the top six.
Parker Haydin (Joshua, Texas) and
Marleigh Duncan (Wake Forest, N.C.) finished 1-2 in smallbore, air rifle, and aggregate to lead the Midshipmen.
Stephanie Milvain (Matthews, N.C.) finished fourth overall, while
Deonte Hayes (Fort Mill, S.C.) took fifth.
Joshua Potts (Ephrata, Pa.),
Clarissa Layland (Granbury, Texas), and
Devin Uhrich (Camp Hill, Pa.) closed out the day in sixth, eighth, and 10th, respectively.
As a team, the Midshipmen combined for a score of 2,330 in smallbore, while tallying a 2,371 in air rifle. The aggregate score of 4,701 marked the fifth time this season the Mids topped the 4,700-point plateau.
The scores recorded in Saturday's contest will account for 50 percent of each team's score toward qualification for the national tournament that is set to be hosted by University of Akron on March 9-11. The remaining half of a team's NCAA qualification total is made up of the respective team's top-three scores from the season at three different locations. Additionally, the top-eight individual shooters that are not on a qualified roster will earn bids to the NCAA Championship to compete as individuals.
"We really had a pretty good match today, unfortunately not quite enough for our team to qualify for the NCAA Championships," head coach
Mike Anti said after the match. "Our team worked hard all year and shot some of our best scores in program history, so to miss the cut by a few points is tough. I am very proud of their performance, not only today, but all season long.
"Even though our team did not qualify, we will have two individuals competing at the NCAAs for the individual championships.
Marleigh Duncan and
Parker Haydin had incredible performances today. Both of them will qualify in the smallbore event and I am pretty sure once the scores are all in, they should qualify for the air rifle events also. I am happy that Navy will be well represented by two outstanding athletes at the Championships."
Haydin finished the day with a match-best 1,187 aggregate score. The freshman led all competitors in smallbore with a score of 591, while posted a top performance of 596 in air rifle. Duncan finished one point back of Haydin to finish second overall with a 1,186. She was second in smallbore with a score of 590, while matching Haydin's 596 in air rifle.
Milvain finished fourth overall and third among Midshipmen. The sophomore posted scores of 576 (SB) and 588 (AR) for a combined score of 1,164. Three points back was Hayes who notched a scorecard of 573 (SB) and 588 (AR) for a total of 1,161. Potts rounded out Navy's top five with an aggregate score of 1,159 after posting performances of 577 (SB) and 582 (AR).
Layland and Uhrich finished the day in the overall top 10. Layland's score of 1,154 was good enough for eighth overall, while Uhrich posted a 1,151 to end the day in 10th overall. In the smallbore, Layland shot a 563, while Uhrich notched a season-best 574. Layland notched a score of 591 in air rifle, while Uhrich finished with a 577.
Rounding out the scoring for Navy was
Catherine Dely (Fort Wayne, Ind.),
Mark Dely (Fort Wayne, Ind.),
Mason MacKenzie (Henderson, Md.),
Grace Shepard (Beecher, Ill.), and
Isabelle Zantow (St. Simons Island, Ga.). C.Dely shot a total score of 1,150, edging her brother M.Dely (1,149) by one. MacKenzie carded a 1,145, while Shepard and Zantow rounded out the scoring with 1,122 and 1,106, respectively.
Navy will return to action Feb. 25-26 as it travels to Morgantown, W.Va. for the annual GARC Championship. Competition from the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building is slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. each day.
