Library photo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After two months of competition across 16 locations nationwide, involving thousands of archers of all ages, champions have been confirmed for the 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals.
All recurve, compound and barebow competitors in the 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals were combined in a separate results category for payouts. The top 10 male and female in each category - regardless of age - will receive a payout, with prize money totaling $56,000 (see table below). Barebow prize money was kindly sponsored by Lancaster Archery Supply.
The final weekend of competition – held in Michigan, Mississippi and Virginia – delivered its share of drama, resulting in changes across several medal standings before the final results were locked in.
While many archers surged late, others set the benchmark early in the season and remained untouched atop the standings.
Among those who established winning scores in the opening weekend that held through the conclusion of the competition were five-time Olympian Brady Ellison (recurve men), Abigail Kippes (recurve U21 women), Nicole Rasor (recurve 50+ women), Kenneth Brunko (compound 50+ men), Sykes Lamensdorf (barebow U18 men), Kurt Andersen (barebow 60+ men) and Bob Carroll (barebow 70+ men).
Rasor won courtesy of a tie-breaker in 2025, from Lori Cieslinski, but won this year with a margin of 29 points.
All that said, there were several divisions saw significant shifts during the final weekend.
Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez split her Olympic teammates in recurve women, taking silver. Casey Kaufhold secured gold, with Catlina GNoriega bagging bronze.
Elsewhere, Abigail Abraham secured gold on the final weekend in recurve 60+ women by seven points, while Hayun Choi claimed the title in recurve U18 women by five points.
Iris Lee enjoyed the greatest margin of victory in the recurve division, winning U13 women by 63 points. The tightest recurve race came in 50+ men where defending champion Mark Hainline and Mark Williams managed the same score (1140), with the former edging gold courtesy of landing more 10s.
The compound divisions saw several athletes move into medal contention late. Alexis Ruiz had held the gold medal position in compound women since the opening weekend of the season after shooting 1183 in Phoenix, Arizona.
That score remained untouched until Olivia Dean matched it during the final weekend in Virginia. Dean not only equaled Ruiz’s overall score but also matched her 103 tens and 17 nines, resulting in the pair sharing the title. Paige Pearce took bronze.
Levi Reitsma joined Gaius Carter in a share of silver in compound men. Like Carter, his third round tally was a perfect 300. Like Carter, he finished one point behind repeat national champion Kyle Douglas (pictured).
Following competition across the final weekend, Benjamin Caplan and Easton Terry took a share of second place in compound U21 men, with neither able to overtake Caleb Quiocho, while Savannah O’Donohue equaled Jadan Reed’s score to tie for gold in compound U21 women.
Elsewhere, Gracelyn Sinclair secured silver in compound U18 women, finishing nine points behind gold medalist Chloe Nelsen, while Brody Terry and Maddie Hanley captured national titles in compound U15 men and women respectively.
The compound 50+ women podium was completely reshuffled during the final weekend, led by Danielle Stegman, with Sharon Totton taking silver and Shelley Williamson bronze. Stegman’s score of 1130 matched her total from 2025, when only good enough for silver. Totton finished third a year ago, while Williamson leapt eight places from last year, improving her total by 24 points.
Veteran competitors also made their mark. Jim Frady shot 1136 in Virginia to earn bronze in compound 60+ men, with the gold standard set by Joseph Santos a week earlier in Massachusetts, while Sandie Hardesty finished second behind champion Diane Watson in compound 60+ women.
In compound 70+ women, Patty Hoppe produced one of the most dominant performances of the weekend, finishing 58 points clear of the field after her performance in Mississippi, with Lula McMurray moving into silver following competition in Virginia.
Barebow divisions also saw movement in the final days. Ryan Davis and Kelly Miller swooped in to take gold and silver in barebow men, pushing long-time leader and reigning champion Zackary Bisinger down to the bronze medal.
Chloe Crandall scored 1000 to claim gold in barebow U18 women, while 2025 bronze medalist Kelly Hawvermale secured the U21 women title by 44 points. Logan Hedrick moved into bronze in U15 men, and Abigail Nguyen took silver in U13 women. The U15 men title was won by Wesley Frevert by a staggering 103 points! Anna Li finished 73 points clear of Nguyen in U13 women.
The top three would not be caught in barebow women, despite Emmie Purcell’s best efforts, as Ava Jones improved on her silver medal from 12 months ago. Medina Otajagic – gold medalist in U18 women last year – claimed senior bronze in 2026. Erin Hollom took silver.
Though the margin was narrower from a year ago, gold and silver again went to Luke Thornsbury and Chase White in U21 men.
One point was the difference between gold and silver in 50+ women, with the national title going to Samantha Gildenhuys. Elizabeth Coombe went from scoring 808 and ninth in 2025 to 894 and gold in barebow 60+ women.
In fixed pins, Lathan McDonald edged into the silver medal position in U18 men by a single point over previous incumbent Jack Moorhouse. Gold went to Brayden Craft. Elsewhere, Melody Koopman’s score of 1162 secured silver in U18 women, pushing Chloe Brandt to bronze. The national champion in that division is Auri Murray.
Aaron Brunner and Jackson Ratajczak could not be separated when they both shot in Kentucky and their matching scores and matching tie-breakers earned them joint gold in U21 men. Aiden Woodie finished one point behind for bronze.
It was even closer in fixed pins U21 women, where the top four shared the same score of 1180. Gold was shared by 2025 bronze medalist Ayla Mills and Jeannie Hite. The 2026 bronze was split between Anslee Roberson and Odessa Cornick, the U18 women champion from last year. Alina Cornick won gold in U15 women.
Ephraim Tonn-Bourg put in a stunning display of archery in Virginia to claim gold in para compound men by 44 points. Sophia Grayson scored 277 points in her fourth round in para compound women, which was the four point difference between her winning gold and nudging defending champion Catalina Bustamante down to silver.
Paralympian Jordan White again won gold in recurve open men, as did Candice Caesar in recurve open women. Ryan Lindstrom was a repeat champion in W1 combined.
Click HERE for all the results from the 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals.
Event prize money will be distributed to the top 10 finishers based on the final combined results from all Indoor Nationals locations for each gender and division (bow type).
There were also more than 20 new national records set at the 2026 USA Archery Indoor Nationals, including five from Alina Cornick in fixed pins. The 13-year-old from Iowa shot 596 in her 18m Round, which was a women’s best at U15 and U21. Her Double Round total of 1192 raised the bar in fixed pins U15, U18 and U21!
Another with five new national records was Ephraim Tonn-Bourg in compound open men. His 18m Round and 18m Double Round were each national para records at U21 and collegiate level, while his Double Round was also a new senior record.
Some records were increased by one or two points, while others were improved considerably. Such an example came in barebow U15 men where Wesley Frevert beat the previous Double Round best of 981 with a new high of 1028. He also set a new national record for the 18m Round.
Belinda Hale in longbow women set records in the 18m Round and 18m Double Round. Her 18m Round improved the old best by 36 points and she then put 49 points on the Double Round record.
In fixed pins U15 men, Boston Shelley added four points to the 18m Round national record but 34 points to the 18m Double Round! Aaron Boring extended the fixed pins U13 men’s record, also by 34 points.
Ava Jones walked away with the barebow (senior) women’s national title as well as three national records. Her 18m Round total of 549 was a new barebow U21 women’s record, while the overall score of 1087 improved the national record at both U21 and senior level.
Jon Starks (barebow men) and Brayden Craft (fixed pins U18 men) beat the previous high in their divisions by one point in their respective 18m Rounds, while Ryan Lindstrom put 13 points on the W1 men 18m Double Round record.
Thomas Stevenson is a new national record holder in recurve 60+ men after his 18m Double Round total of 1129 beat the previous record by three points.
