Navy Rifle

Colleges & Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
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<p>Navy Rifle Begins Stretch Run This Weekend Against Coast Guard and Akron</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy rifle team kicks off its second part of the season this weekend with a pair of matches, beginning Saturday against the Coast Guard at home. Navy will shoot against Coast Guard on Saturday at 8:00 am in the Bancroft Rifle Range, then will travel to Palmyra, Pa., to battle Akron on Sunday, also at 8:00 am. The Mids enter the weekend with a 3-2 mark.</p>

<p>Navy hasn't shot a team match since a Nov. 11 win over MIT and Wentworth in Boston. </p>

<p>"We have a lot of work to do this weekend to get back into the swing of things," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "We are getting into the heart of the season and we need to start putting up some good scores to get to the NCAA Tournament, and it would be great to do that this weekend."</p>

<p>Navy's rifle team also received a boost this week in training as Eric Uptagrafft helped Kelley in the team's training. Uptagrafft has served as a volunteer assistant coach and was a former Olympian and part of the United States World Championship team. Uptagrafft is being shipped to Kuwait shortly, but loaned his rifle services to the Navy squad.</p>

<p>"He is obviously a very good shooter and knows what he is doing, so it was good to have him around," said Kelley. "Hopefully his training will help pay some dividends and we'll see how it shakes out."</p>

<p>The last time Navy competed, it shot a season-high 4,600 in wins over MIT and Wentworth. The Mids were led on that day by seniors Sarah Bergman in air rifle and Chris Schneider in smallbore. </p>

<p>"The seniors are going to have to be the ones to lead us down the homestretch," said Kelley. "They are winding down to their last two months of collegiate shooting and we need their leadership and ability to help us make a late-season run."</p>

<p>After this weekend, the Mids will host defending national champion Alaska-Fairbanks on Jan. 19-20, in Bancroft Rifle Range.</p>

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<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy rifle team recorded a season-high score, in cruising past Coast Guard, 4,613 to 4,411 at the Bancroft Rifle Range on Saturday morning. The Mids improved to 4-2 overall with the victory. </p>

<p>"I thought we had a good performance today," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "We left some high scores off the counting team which would have given us higher scores. It's been very difficult picking our teams, and we need to find some consistency. But I was pleased with the performance. This is the best we have shot in our first return match in the eight years I have been here." </p>

<p>Navy outscored Coast Guard, 2,295 to 2,200 in the smallbore and was led by Chris Schneider's 578. Josh Albright added a 577, Alex Karacsonyi shot a 573 and Monica Amagna tallied a 567. Sarah Bergman, who was left off the smallbore counting team, tallied a career-best 579. In air rifle, which Navy won 2,318 to 2,211, Bergman and Lisa Kunzelman tallied 583s, Schneider scored a 578 and Albright shot a 574. Karacsonyi and Amagna, who were left off the air rifle team, shot a 587 and 584, respectively. </p>

<p>"There were a lot of positive signs this week and one big one was the help Eric Uptagrafft gave us, particularly in smallbore," said Kelley. "Bergman's career-high score was almost a direct result of his help. There were just a lot of good things that happened this week. It's time to get down to business and hopefully start to post some good scores. This was a good start for us." </p>

<p>Navy will travel to Palmyra, Pa., on Sunday for an 8:00 am match against Akron. The Mids will then host defending national champion Alaska-Fairbanks next weekend.</p>

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<p>PALMYRA, Pa. -- The Navy rifle team won both disciplines on Sunday, cruising to a 4,600 to 4,530 victory over Akron at the Palmyra Tournament. The win moves Navy's record to 5-2 overall. </p>

<p>"It wasn't our best score today, but considering the circumstances, I'll take it," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "We had a match yesterday, drove up here this morning and shot at a different range than we are used to. Overall, I am pretty pleased and had a really good smallbore showing. It was a decent day for us." </p>

<p>Navy shot a 2,290 in smallbore compared to the Zips' 2,241. Leading the Navy charge was Chris Schneider with a 575, Sarah Bergman followed with a 574, Josh Albright tallied a 572 and Alex Karacsonyi shot a 567. Navy then outscored Akron in air rifle, 2,300 to 2,289 to claim the victory. Bergman fired a 586, Karacsonyi shot a 579, Albright tallied a 574 and Lisa Kunzelman fired a 571. </p>

<p>The Mids will host defending NCAA champion Alaska-Fairbanks next Friday in Bancroft Rifle Range. </p>

<p>"We will definitely have our hands full next weekend but we are excited for the challenge," said Kelley. "We will have a hard week of training ahead of us and hopefully we can put our best foot forward next weekend."</p>

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<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy rifle team will face its stiffest competition to date, hosting defending national champion Alaska-Fairbanks on Friday at the Bancroft Rifle Range at 2:00 pm. The Mids are 5-2 after a pair of victories last weekend with one of the losses coming earlier this year to the visiting Nanooks.</p>

<p>"Alaska-Fairbanks has had a great week so far (on their East coast swing), already posting the nation's highest score (4692) against Army," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "They are loaded again this year and have put up solid numbers all year and we expect them to do the same this weekend. It will be a great challenge for us and one that we are very excited for."</p>

<p>The Mids are coming off a strong performance last weekend in wins over Coast Guard and Akron. Navy shot a season-high 4613 against Coast Guard in its first match back from a two-month hiatus on Saturday. On Sunday, the Mids followed with their second-highest score of the year, a 4600, in a 70-point win over Akron. Kelley is hoping that the Mids can put it all together on Friday.</p>

<p>"We have had a great week of practice and the kids are excited to compete against them," said Kelley. "We know that we have our work cut out for us, but if we can keep them in our sights, we think we have a shot late in the match. We are expecting a hard-fought match that should come down to the last few rounds."</p>

<p>The Nanooks defeated Navy on its Alaskan trip, 4651 to 4583, way back on Oct. 28, in Fairbanks, but Kelley expects a tighter match this time around.</p>

<p>"I think that we are a lot better than we showed when we met the first time, and Alaska-Fairbanks is likely better too," said Kelley. "We know who we are and what we can do. It is just a matter of doing it now."</p>

<p>Following its match with the Nanooks, Navy will be in action next Friday and Saturday at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.</p>

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<p>Mids post season-high score in 12-point loss. </p>

<p>Sarah Bergman posted strong scores in both disciplines against Alaska-Fairbanks on Friday.</p>

<p>Jan. 19, 2007 </p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy rifle team shot a season-high score, but it wasn't enough to overcome a strong performance by the nation's top team, Alaska-Fairbanks, as the Nanooks defeated the Mids by 12 points, 4,640 to 4,648. The loss drops Navy's record to 5-3 overall. </p>

<p>"We never like losing. I don't care who we are shooting against. There are no moral victories," said Navy head coach Bill Kelley. "However, our performance today was very good and we are moving in the right direction. We really came together today and put together a strong, team-oriented performance. Everyone shot well and we are moving in the right direction. We're not discouraged with our showing, but when you lose, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth." </p>

<p>The Mids fell behind by 24 points following the smallbore portion, 2,321 to 2,297. Josh Albright led the Mids with a 580, followed by Chris Schneider with a 576, Sarah Bergman with a 573 and Alex Karacsonyi with a 568. </p>

<p>Navy rallied, however, in the air rifle, outscoring the Nanooks, 2,351 to 2,339, but falling short in the team score. Albright and Lisa Kunzelman led the Mids with a pair of 590s, Bergman tallied a 589 and Karacsonyi shot a 582. </p>

<p>"Our air rifle was very strong today and are really looking forward to next weekend already," said Kelley. </p>

<p>The Mids will compete on Friday and Saturday against the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Kelley knows that time is running out for his squad to post NCAA Tournament-worthy scores. </p>

<p>"We have to keep improving to qualify. We took a big step today, but we need to shoot well next weekend to keep the momentum going," said Kelley. "The team knows that and we expect to perform well next weekend."</p>