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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently hosted the seventh annual Missouri National Archery in the Schools (MoNASP) state tournament on March 27 and 28 at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach. The increasingly popular event drew 1,388 competing students in grades 4-12 from 88 schools across the state along with more than 8,500 observers and supporters.
Winning teams and individuals, along with other teams and individuals who had qualifying scores, will go on to compete in the National Archery in the Schools (NASP) national tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on May 7-9.
MoNASP is coordinated through MDC in partnership with numerous schools and supporting organizations throughout the state. MoNASP is an affiliate of NASP and promotes education, self-esteem, and physical activity for students in grades 4-12 through participation in the sport of archery.
More than 135,000 Missouri students from 487 schools participate in MoNASP. Since NASP's beginnings in 2002, more than 10 million students have participated in the program through 10,000 schools in 47 states and 10 countries.
"The growth of the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program has been tremendous over the past couple of years," said MDC Education Outreach Coordinator Eric Edwards, who coordinates MoNASP. "This surge has led students outdoors with their families to participate in this lifetime sport. Many local conservation groups and civic organizations are also volunteering to help support MoNASP in their communities. Students are connecting with family members, coaches, and teachers through archery. This connection and confidence gained through archery will spread into other parts of their lives."
"I am so impressed with the scores this year," said Edwards. "Each year the scores just get better and better. Kids from Missouri should have a very strong chance at making the podium at the national NASP tournament in May."
Shelby Winslow, a sophomore from Lee's Summit West High School, won top female and top overall archer for the third year in a row with an impressive score of 295 out of a possible 300. Seth Pezley, a freshman from Helias High School in Jefferson City, was the top male archer with a score of 294. Nipping at their heels was Salem Middle School fifth grader Irving Johnson with a score of 293. Also worth mentioning was the continued dominance of the team from George Guffey Elementary School in Fenton that again won the team division for the elementary division for the seventh straight year.
High School Division
1st: Sarcoxie R-II, Sarcoxie
2nd: Lee's Summit West, Lee's Summit
3rd: Helias High School, Jefferson City
Middle School Division
1st: Ridgewood Middle School, Arnold
2nd: Hillsboro Junior High, Hillsboro
3rd: Sarcoxie Middle School, Sarcoxie
Elementary School Division
1st: George Guffey Elementary School, Fenton
2nd: St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Thomas
3rd: Longview Farm Elementary, Lee's Summit
Individual High School Males
1st: Seth Pezley, Helias High School
2nd: Zane White, Sarcoxie R-2
3rd: Christian Durst, Lee's Summit West
4th: Gavin Currey, Sarcoxie R-2
5th: Caleb Ridenour, Seckman
Individual High School Females
1st: Shelby Winslow, Lee's Summit West
2nd: Lexie Vaught, Crane High School
3rd: Samantha Lee, Joplin High School
4th: Katherine McDonald, Helias High School
5th: Isabelle Smith, Lee's Summit West
Individual Middle School Males
1st: Jeremy Stockman, St. Thomas the Apostle
2nd: Andy Rodgers, Our Lady of the Presentation
3rd: Nate Baldwin, Sarcoxie R-2
4th: Michael Sechrest-Grove, Ridgewood Middle School
5th: Ben Nance, St. Clair Middle School
Individual Middle School Females
1st: Jenna Newell, Ridgewood Middle School
2nd: Madison Genge, Hillsboro Junior High
3rd: Lauren Smith, Summit Lakes Middle School
4th: Lexi Shopmaker, Crane Middle School
5th: McKenna Schneider, Ridgewood Middle School
Individual Elementary School Males
1st: Irving Johnson, Salem Middle School
2nd: Tyler Gardner, Clinton Intermediate
3rd: Max Wangler, Sarcoxie Elementary
4th: Drake Acheson, Sarcoxie Elementary
5th: Wyatt Berhorst, St. Joseph Catholic Westphalia
Individual Elementary School Females
1st: Maggie Carrol, George Guffey
2nd: Sydney Menard, George Guffey
3rd: Grace Boessen, St. Thomas the Apostle
4th: Jordyn Dawson, Simpson Elementary
5th: Katie Fredrickson, Carl Junction
For full tournament scores, go online to nasptournaments.org/TournamentDetail.aspx?tid=742.
For more information on MoNASP, visit mdc.mo.gov.
