ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy rifle team (8-7, 2-5 in the GARC) is slated to return to action Saturday at 9:00 a.m. against Army (1-7, 0-5 in the GARC) in the annual Star Match at the Bancroft Hall Rifle Range. The competition is part of the Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. Free live results of the match will be available via NavySports.com.
 
STAR MATCH SCORING FORMAT
Scoring for the Star Match will feature eight starters for each team in smallbore and air rifle with the top-five scores counting toward each team's final score. The NCAA scoring model of starting five shooters in each event with the top-four scores counting will still be used for NCAA Championship qualification purposes.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
In a series that dates back to the 1939 season, Army holds a 47-34 edge over Navy in the 81 meetings between the two service academies. However, the Midshipmen have won three of their last four matches against the Black Knights, along with having a 3-2 record against Army under the direction of head coach Mike Anti.
 
2022-23 STAR SERIES BREAKDOWN
In the overall 2022-23 Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA, Army has a 6-4 edge over Navy. The Midshipmen have claimed the Star in sprint football, men's cross country, women's cross country, and women's swimming and diving. Saturday's rifle match is one of four Star competitions on the day, joining men's and women's indoor track and field and gymnastics.
 
NAVY SPORTS MAGAZINE
The Voice of Navy Athletics Pete Medhurst sat down with senior captain Mason MacKenzie (Henderson, Md.) to talk about the Army-Navy Star Match. (Video)
 
PRESIDENT'S TROPHY MATCH
Army and Navy met earlier this season at the annual President's Trophy Match in Annapolis on Nov. 5. The Midshipmen finished second in the event with an overall score of 5,849 points. The Black Knights finished third in the field of four teams, posting a score of 5,785 points.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Navy registered its second-best team performance of the 2022-23 season on Saturday as the Midshipmen tallied a team score of 4,709 points at West Virginia at the WVU Shell Building. Parker Haydin (Joshua, Texas) and Marleigh Duncan (Wake Forest, N.C.) led the way for the Mids, finishing third and fourth overall, respectively. The host Mountaineers remained undefeated in Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) competition posting a collective score of 4,742.
 
Haydin registered an aggregate score of 1,185 to close out the match in third place. In air rifle, he notched a season-best score of 598, tying for the fourth-best performance in program history. The freshman tied for first in the air rifle competition with West Virginia's top two performers – Mary Tucker and Molly McGhin. In smallbore, Haydin posted a score of 587 to finish second among Navy shooters and fourth overall. Just behind Haydin was Duncan, who posted an aggregate score of 1,185 to finish the match in fourth place. The sophomore tied Haydin with a 587 in the smallbore, while tallying a score of 594 in air rifle.
 
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
The Midshipmen enter the weekend with an 8-7 overall record. The Midshipmen return to the range after taking on West Virginia last week. In its last competition, Navy registered its second-best team performance of the 2022-23 season as the Midshipmen tallied a team score of 4,709 points at West Virginia at the WVU Shell Building. Parker Haydin (Joshua, Texas) and Marleigh Duncan (Wake Forest, N.C.) led the way for the Mids, finishing third and fourth overall, respectively.
 
For the season, Duncan and Haydin are tied for the team lead in aggregate scoring with a total of 1,178.4. Duncan ranks second among the team in smallbore and air rifle, while Haydin leads the squad in smallbore and ranks third in air rifle. Haydin has a team-leading tally of 586.3 in smallbore, followed closely by Duncan's 585.9. Duncan is second overall on the team in air rifle with a 592.5, while Haydin is third with a 592.1.
 
Clarissa Layland (Granbury, Texas) paces the squad in air rifle, while coming in third in aggregate scoring. Layland's tally of 592.6 in air rifle leads Navy with a third-place score of 1,165.7 in combined scoring. Her smallbore score of 573.0 ranks fifth on the team.
 
Stephanie Milvain (Matthews, N.C.) averages 580.4 to rank third on the squad in smallbore, while notching a 584.9 average in air rifle. Her aggregate average is 1,165.3, which ranks fourth on the team. Joshua Potts (Ephrata, Pa.) is fourth in smallbore (574.3), while coming in fifth in air rifle (585.3) and aggregate average (1,159.6). Deonte Hayes (Fort Mills, S.C.) is fourth in air rifle with an average of 585.9.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Army enters the weekend after dropping a 4,727-4,632 decision to Kentucky. The Wildcats dominated the match, claiming smallbore (2,351) and air rifle (2,376) combining for a 4,727 aggregate in outpointing the Black Knights' 4,632. Army fired a 2,305 in smallbore and 2,327 in air rifle, respectively. Army's Anusha Pakkam led the Black Knights with a 583 mark in smallbore and 586 in air rifle score to rank fifth in the aggregate scoring with an 1,169. Ashley Clegg was next at 1,157 (574 smallbore and 583 air rifle). Pakkam was fifth overall in both smallbore and air rifle disciplines. Claudia Sigel was Army's next highest shooter in smallbore with a 577 followed by Clegg's 574. In air rifle, Clegg finished behind Pakkam in sixth (583) followed by Chris Jenning (581).
 
UP NEXT
Following the Star Match against Army, Navy is set to host John Jay and North Carolina State for an NCAA Championship qualifier match. The Midshipmen's overall score in the qualifying match will account for 50 percent of their average score for the season that is used to determine if they earn a bid to the NCAA Championships hosted by the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.