Over the past year, thousands of student archers competed in regional tournaments throughout Alabama for a chance to draw their bows at the 2023 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Championship in Montgomery on April 6-7.
During the event, nearly 2,000 archers from 115 schools competed for top honors and the opportunity to advance to the NASP Eastern National Championship May 11-13, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky.
This year, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division awarded $10,000 in scholarships to select top archers.
The top overall female and male archers each received a $1,500 scholarship. First place high school female and male archers each received a $1,000 scholarship, second place high school female and male archers each received a $750 scholarship, and third place high school female and male archers each received a $500 scholarship. The scholarships are funded, in part, by the Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association.
“The Archery in the Schools Program teaches discipline, patience and the life lessons required to be successful in both the classroom and at the archery range,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. “Their determination and dedication to both archery and academics will serve these students well in other aspects of life.”
In addition to the top archers, five students randomly selected from a list of all registered Academic Archers who shot during the tournament were each awarded a $500 scholarship.
Those students are:
Anne Girby, Alma Bryant
Evan Dockery, Cullman High
J.C. Peacock, Grand Bay Middle
Mason Gregory, Fairview High
Mose Piper, Davidson High
Scoring for the state tournament is based on Olympic-style, target archery in three divisions – elementary, middle and high school. Competition is on team and individual levels.
Perfect scores are 3,600 points for teams and 300 for individuals. If archers that place in each division have the same score, the ties are broken by comparing the numbers of 10s from the scoresheet. The archer with the most 10s is awarded first place.
Top Scores in the 2023 Alabama NASP State Championship
TOP OVERALL INDIVIDUALS
Female: Mia Cornelson, Alma Bryant High, Score: 293
Male: Jagger Lee, Vinemont High, Score: 293
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
Vinemont High, Score: 3,420
Alma Bryant High, Score: 3,412
Buckhorn High, Score: 3,383
MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION
Causey Middle, Score: 3,316
Cullman Middle, Score: 3,313
Vinemont Middle, Score: 3,275
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION
East Elementary, Score: 3,152
Vinemont Elementary, Score: 3,130
St. Luke’s Episcopal School, Score: 3,079
INDIVIDUAL HIGH SCHOOL FEMALES
Mia Cornelson, Alma Bryant High, Score: 293
Caroline Miller, Vinemont High, Score: 293
Talah Coleman, Alma Bryant High, Score: 290
INDIVIDUAL HIGH SCHOOL MALES
Jagger Lee, Vinemont High, Score: 293
Evan Dockery, Cullman High, Score: 293
Mason McCury, Good Hope High, Score: 293
INDIVIDUAL MIDDLE SCHOOL FEMALES
Maddie Seidel, Cullman Middle School, Score: 291
AnnaLee McRae, Vinemont Middle, Score: 288
Katelyn Jowers, Cullman Middle, Score: 282
INDIVIDUAL MIDDLE SCHOOL MALES
Ethan Wheat, Causey Middle, Score: 291
Gunner Couch, Grand Bay Middle, Score: 288
Paden Roberts, Clarke-Shaw Magnet, Score: 288
INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FEMALES
Kinsley Matson, East Elementary, Score: 278
Britton Smith, Elsie Collier Elementary, Score: 275
Brianna Baker, Vinemont Elementary, Score: 274
INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MALES
Briggs Renfroe, Castlen Elementary, Score: 291
Dawson Deloney, Highlands Elementary, Score: 282
Cason Tarver, Saraland Elementary, Score: 276
Complete results for the 2023 NASP Alabama State Championship are available here.
To view photos from the event, visit ADCNR’s Flickr.
Alabama’s archery program is coordinated by WFF through partnerships with various schools and supporting organizations in the state. Alabama NASP is an affiliate of the national program and promotes discipline, self-esteem and life skills for students in grades 4-12. To learn more about Alabama NASP, call WFF Regional Hunter Education Coordinator Michael Bloxom at (334) 242-3868 or send him an email at Michael.Bloxom@dcnr.alabama.gov.
To see an earlier story featuring Jake Cash, a student archer injured before competing in the championship, click here.
–All photos courtesy Billy Pope, Outdoor Alabama