Liberty Archery Team Competes at 3D Collegiate Nationals in Alabama

Liberty sent 14 athletes to compete at the USA Archery 3D Collegiate National Championships Oct. 15 through Oct. 17, making the archery team one of only a few collegiate club sports competing this fall.

The event, held in Foley, Alabama, at the Graham Creek Interpretive Center, was put on by the national governing body, USA Archery, and hosted more than two hundred competitors.

Against both teams and individual competitors, the Liberty archers competed in four disciplines: Olympic recurve, barebow, compound and bowhunting.

Junior Connor Rothermel won a bronze medal in the men’s Olympic recurve event. Fellow juniors Hannah Suber and Isaac Underhill placed sixth and seventh respectively. They placed third overall as a mixed team in barebow, an event that utilizes a bow made from only a stick and some string.

This competition challenged the archers in different ways than they normally experience, however.

It was held outdoors, with athletes shooting further than the usual 20-yard ranges, with some events taking place from 40 yards. Along with those variables, many athletes were competing for the first time in a 3D target event. The 3D targets are fullscale replicas of hunted animals, like deer, and are very different from the usual circular targets.

“These are life-sized animal targets. You can’t really see the scoring rings, like the yellow, red, blue and black colors,” Head Coach Benjamin Summers said, “You actually have to look through a pair of binoculars and imagine.”

The distance of the course, a long, marked field, made taking aim challenging.

“Imagine that you’re in a hunting situation, that type of set-up,” Summers said. “The bullseye is actually where the heart would be, of the animal. There’s a lower scoring ring if you were to hit it anywhere else and it be a lethal shot. It’s challenging, these are almost impossible to see with the naked eye.”

The colors of the ring correspond with the number of points awarded for hitting it. Starting from the bullseye, the yellow ring is worth 12 points, the red 10, and the blue eight. Any other hit considered as lethal is worth five points.

Though some of the archers had never shot in a hunting-like situation, preparation made all the difference. Liberty has an outdoor range and a 3D range, in addition to its new indoor range. This allows the athletes to practice in a variety of formats, preparing them for whatever task is asked of them at the competitions.

“Most colleges have to share these indoor facilities with other teams. This can really limit their ability to use it whenever,” Summers said, “We have an indoor range that is top of the world, one of the best caliber archery ranges. We’re able to shoot (from) 30 yards.”

Though the capacity limits and social distancing rules still apply, Summers is very excited for the future. Being visible through tournaments is something that means the world to these archers, Summers said, adding that it is encouraging for the team to practice and attend events.

Sarah Williams is a Sports Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahsaying.