(Greensburg, IN) – For the first time since 2018, the St. Mary’s Archery Team will compete at the National Archery in the Schools Program State Tournament.
The middle school team, consisting of 14 students in 6th , 7th , and 8th grade, qualified for the state competition for both bullseye and 3D competitions.
The elementary team, made up of 17 students in 4th and 5th grade, will compete in the bullseye competition.
Also, fourth grader Sam Welsh qualified to compete in the 3D competition as an individual.
St. Mary’s has had an archery team since the 2014-2015 season and last competed in the state tournament in 2018. The team qualified in 2020 but the tournament was canceled that year.
Since then, only individual team members have qualified for the state competition. This is the first year for fourth graders to be invited to compete at St. Mary’s, and the school has now formed two teams.
Already this season, the teams have had great success:
- The middle school team and elementary team have both had a top 3 finish at six meets.
- Six archers have finished in the top 3 in their divisions at meets since November. They are: sixth grader Landon Bedel (3rd place), sixth grader Henry Dwenger (3rd), sixth grader Jack Dwenger (1st, 1st, 2nd ), fourth grader Rhys Fox (3rd ), seventh grader Lilli Welsh (3rd, 3rd), and fourth grader Sam Welsh (1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd ).
- 29 of the archers have achieved a personal best so far this season; 21 of them have achieved more than one personal best.
- 22 of the archers are honored as academic archers due to their achievements in the classroom.
The state competition is March 8 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The archers qualified based on their individual and team scores at a state qualifying meet in late January. Based on those scores, Sam Welsh is ranked first in the state among 258 elementary school boys in 3D, and fifth in bullseye out of 720 archers. Jack Dwenger is ranked 10th in the state in 3D out of 407 archers.
Team members are:
- Middle school: Ayden Banks, Caitlin Bedel, Hensleigh Bedel, Landon Bedel, Charles Cornett, Henry Dwenger, Jack Dwenger, Ronald Elliott, Landen Fuel, Jada Gault, Harper Hankins, Erica Scheidler, Zoe Wade, and Lilli Welsh.
- Elementary school: Maddalyn Bedel, Rilynn Bedel, Armando Cuautle Teles, Rhys Fox, Camilla Gault, Brody Hankins, Henry Hess, Victoria Koors, Asher Menkedick, Logan Menkedick, Kendal Nesbit, Steven Scheidler, Charlie Schwering, Gus Schwering, Sam Welsh, Henry Wenning, and Landon Westhafer.
The teams are coached by David and Jill Fuel, Nick and Julie Wenning, Jason Dwenger, and Zach Welsh.
(St. Mary’s Catholic School press release)
