MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Parker Haydin (Joshua, Texas) finished first overall, while
Marleigh Duncan (Wake Forest, N.C.) took bronze as the Navy rifle team closed out the Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) Championship at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range inside the WVU Shell Building in Morgantown, W.Va. in fourth place.
Match host West Virginia (4,722 points) claimed first in the team competition, while Ole Miss (4,715) and Kentucky (4,714) came in second and third, respectively. Navy entered the day in fifth place after the smallbore competition, but a strong showing in air rifle moved the Mids into fourth place overall with 4,698 points. Akron (4,694) took fifth with Memphis (4,689), NC State (4,682), and Army (4,634) rounding out the team scoring.
"We had a very good weekend," head coach
Mike Anti said. "I am happy with our finish at the conference championships. I think placing fourth overall in the toughest conference in the nation is quite an accomplishment."
Individually, Haydin earned first place overall with an aggregate score of 1,186, while Duncan finished third with a two-day score of 1,185. Haydin took second place in smallbore, while finishing third in air rifle.
Deonte Hayes (Fort Mill, S.C.) was third among Navy shooters with an aggregate score of 1,161, one point ahead of
Joshua Potts (Ephrata, Pa.) who carded a final score of 1,160.
Stephanie Milvain (Matthews, N.C.) tallied a 1,155, while
Clarissa Layland (Granbury, Texas) finished with an aggregate performance of 1,147.
"Every student-athlete on our team had a part in our achievement," Anti added. "
Marleigh Duncan and
Parker Haydin had our best performance in program history at the championships. Marleigh placed third overall individually and Parker was the top athlete overall with a second-place finish in the smallbore event and a third-place finish in the air rifle event. This has never been done before in program history. Both Marleigh and Parker beat out past Olympic gold and silver medalists and some of the best athletes in the world; truly an amazing performance, a feat they should be very proud of. Marleigh and Parker are also looking forward to representing the Academy at the NCAA Championships in a couple of weeks."
SMALLBORE
In the first day of competition, West Virginia led the competition with a smallbore round of 2,345, leading by nine points as Ole Miss was in second place after shooting a 2,336. Just behind Ole Miss, Kentucky shot a 2335 to rank third, while Akron (2,330) and Navy (2,325) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, after the first day.
Haydin finished the smallbore portion of the team competition with a team-high 589, while Duncan was one point back with a 588. The scores qualified the duo to the individual finals, which featured the top eight shooters. WVU's Tal Engler defeated Haydin, 17-15, in a shoot-off match that came down to the final shot.
Potts was third on the team with a tally of 575, finishing just two points ahead of Milvain who carded a final score of 573. Hayes rounded out the starters for Navy with a score of 570. Layland closed out the day for the Midshipmen with a 559.
AIR RIFLE
On the second day of shooting, Ole Miss and Kentucky each shot scores of 2,379, while West Virginia was two points back with a tally of 2,377. Navy shot a 2,373 to finish fourth ahead of Memphis (2,371) who rounded out the top five.
Individually, Haydin and Duncan matched each other's scores with a team-high 597. The 597 was a season-best for Duncan, while coming one point shy of Haydin's top performance this season.
Hayes tied a career-best score in air rifle with a score of 591, tying his top performance he originally set in the Army-Navy Star Match. Milvain finished with a 582, while Layland, who was a starter in the air rifle only, finished the event with a 588. Potts rounded out the Midshipmen shooters with a tally of 585.
UP NEXT
Looking ahead, Navy individuals Duncan and Haydin will compete in the NCAA Championship hosted by Akron, the championships will be held March 10-11 on campus at James A. Rhodes Arena, in Akron, Ohio.
