Twenty-two members of the Seymour High School archery team combined for a top-10 finish in the final tournament of the season.
Competing in the National Archery in the Schools Program Championship on June 11 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Owls shot 3,310 to place 10th out of 27 teams in the high school division.
This was the first in-person national-level tournament for NASP since July 2019. Last year’s event was among those canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between June 10 and 12, Open bullseye, Open 3D and Championship 3D tournaments were conducted at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Overall, 2,092 archers from 33 states competed.
Seymour was led by senior Kaylee Tudor and junior Hannah Ackeret both shooting 282 out of 300. They were followed by sophomore Jacob Jones and senior Hannah Busby shooting 280s and seniors Kielar Greer and Kiersten Engleking shooting 279s.
Ackeret said this was her first NASP Championship.
“It was a blast,” she said.
She was happy to shoot a personal-best score on the big stage.
“I felt like everyone was more confident. No one was as nervous as we normally are,” Ackeret said. “I personally was a little nervous. I was shooting really good, and I didn’t want to mess it up. It was so much fun to shoot against everyone and to see how good all of the other teams are. I feel like after shooting this, I know what I am capable of and I can kick it up a notch for next year.”
Leigha Butler was among 13 seniors on Seymour’s Championship team. She shot 268.
Having recently graduated, Butler said the competition was one to remember because she was able to shoot with her friends one last time.
“With shooting close to my personal best, I know everyone on the team tried hard and worked together to get that spot,” she said. “I was so happy when I found out we got 10th place. I honestly felt nervous at first, but as the competition started, I had a blast. I got to meet new friends from different states. I know that the archery team next year will do just as great and try to beat that score and get first place.”
The tournament wrapped up another successful season for Seymour.
The Owls placed fifth out of 25 teams in the state tournament with a 3,335 on March 13 in Indianapolis and shot a season-best 3,347 on senior night for its national tournament score and wound up 35th out of 247 teams. Seymour also had a second team competing in nationals, and it placed 190th with a score of 3,074.
In the NASP Championship, Seymour placed the highest among Indiana teams. North Harrison had two teams in the high school division, and the others from the Hoosier State were Madison and Gibson Southern.
The winner of the tournament was Hartland High School in Michigan with a 3,452. Kentucky had four teams place in the top 10.
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For full NASP Open and NASP Championship results, visit nasptournaments.org.
For information about the National Archery in the Schools Program, visit naspschools.org.
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