The Van Buren County Archery Club competed in the Iowa NASP State Tournament in Des Moines over the weekend, with both the high school bullseye and 3D teams qualifying for the National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky in May. The state tournament was one of the largest in the state’s history, drawing nearly 2,700 bullseye archers from 146 Iowa schools and more than 1,300 3D archers from 116 schools.
Special Awards and Recognition
Before diving into the results, two Van Buren County seniors had a weekend worth celebrating beyond just their scores. Senior Audrey Smith received one of three $1,000 scholarships awarded by the Haney Family Foundation, joining Allie Whetstine of Mid-Prairie and Abe Vickers of Central DeWitt as this year’s recipients. Smith also earned a spot on the Iowa NASP All-State 3D Team for females—a recognition based on an archer’s top two scores throughout the season combined with their state tournament score. Senior Lilly Berner was randomly selected to receive a $500 scholarship from Iowa NASP.
Bullseye Results
The high school bullseye team placed 23rd out of 44 teams with a score of 3,247.
Audrey Smith led all Van Buren County archers with a score of 285 and 17 tens, ranking 14th among high school girls statewide out of 535 and 3rd in the state among 12th-grade girls. Kaycee Bell had an outstanding performance as well, shooting a 281 with 16 tens to rank 10th among 10th-grade girls in the state. Gwen Conley scored a 278 with 15 tens, Thomas Roberts shot a 276 with 12 tens, and Ben Wells scored a 273 with 11 tens to round out the top five for Van Buren County.
Aubrey Cram and middle schooler William Roberts both scored 272, with Roberts ranking 70th among middle school boys statewide. Jayce Simmons shot a 271, and seniors Lilly Berner and freshman Logan Adam both achieved personal bests with scores of 269.
Randi Grimm scored a 263, Cody Blind shot a 256, and Ian Arbogast scored a 254. Middle schooler Paisley Baker and Cora Markley each shot a 253, Brody Smithburg finished with a 252, and middle schooler Lincoln Mahon scored a 251. Maddax Brecount shot a 250, Beau Johnson and Kiera Bird each scored a 248, and Kayden Simmons finished with a 244. Middle schooler Calen Brown scored a 243, Conner Sedore shot a 236, Michelle Gordy scored a 231, and Noah Duncan finished with a 226. Caden Keefe scored a 220, and Gabby Titus rounded out the team with a 190.
3D Results
The high school 3D team had an impressive showing, placing 15th out of 34 teams with a score of 1,646. Middle schooler William Roberts was the only middle school 3D archer competing for Van Buren County.
Thomas Roberts was the standout of the day, scoring a 283 with 16 tens to rank 17th among all high school boys in the state and 4th among 10th-grade boys. He also hit two perfect 50-point ends—one on the turkey target and another on the antelope. Audrey Smith was right behind him with a 280 and 15 tens, ranking 18th among high school girls and 5th among 12th-grade girls statewide. Middle schooler William Roberts shot a strong 275 with 14 tens, ranking 25th among middle school boys in the state.
Gwen Conley scored a 274 with 12 tens, Ben Wells shot a 272 with 12 tens, and Logan Adam achieved a personal best of 269 with 11 tens. Kaycee Bell scored a 268, and Brody Smithburg achieved a personal best of 263. Ian Arbogast scored a 258 with 10 tens and Michelle Gordy shot a 256. Lilly Berner achieved a personal best of 251, Beau Johnson scored a 242, and Kayden Simmons finished with a 229. Caden Keefe scored a 227, Kiera Bird shot a 222, and Noah Duncan achieved a personal best of 219. Conner Sedore scored a 214, Gabby Titus shot a 205, and Cody Blind rounded out the team with a 198.
Both the high school bullseye and 3D teams have qualified for the National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, scheduled for May 7-9. Complete tournament results are available at nasptournaments.org.
Photography courtesy of Sonya Love-Smith.
