FOLEY, Ala. – University of Rio Grande came, shot and conquered on only their second-ever visit to the USA Archery Collegiate 3D Nationals, ending the seven-year reign of the University of the Cumberlands.
Rio Grande, under head coach Jonathan Clemins, launched its archery program in early 2024 but marched away with the Overall Team title at the HotelPlanner USA Archery Collegiate 3D Nationals, winning by more than 30 points from the Cumberlands, with Texas A&M taking third.
“We’re thrilled to have won,” began Clemins. “But I was confident coming in because of how strong of a team we have. I knew the way trained, not only on the range but also in the gym. And then there’s the mental training we do, head-to-head team rounds … the team is training from daylight to literally until it’s dark.
“So, I had no doubts coming into this event that we were going to be strong and able to compete and it all played out in our favor, and we had a great weekend.”
Victory over the Cumberlands was no easy feat. The Kentucky-based school has set the collegiate bar extremely high in this format of the sport. They entered the Collegiate 3D Nationals in the second year of its existence, in 2018, and had left with the Overall Team title on each of its previous seven visits.
Clemins is aware that this success will only serve to spur on their rivals, especially the University of the Cumberlands but he welcomes that, while indicating the rise in talented collegiate archery programs outside of the historically strong areas of the country.
“At one point it appeared that the Mid-South Conference was home to the powerhouse schools,” Clemins added. “There you have schools like Cumberlands, UPike, Lindsey Wilson, Union, but we’re starting to see a shift and now we’re in the north region where we have the new national (3D) champions.
“We also have schools like Lindenwood and Muskingum, who are performing extremely well, so I love to see the growth of collegiate archery; I love collegiate archery and we’re delighted with how it all unfolded here in Foley.”
When the Cumberlands first entered the event, there were 335 student-athletes competing, itself a massive leap from the inaugural year when just 73 archers took part. With three new schools involved at the 2025 edition, a new record was set with 481 archers shooting at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve from Thursday to Saturday.
Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Missouri Valley College Archery in Marshall and PRCC (Pearl River Community College) in Poplarville, Mississippi had archers in Foley for the first time.
John McEachern, the archery coach at Missouri Valley College, said “My archers enjoyed the experience thoroughly. The camaraderie with other archers, other teams, has been great.
“Of course, they’ve shot quite a bit and know some of the people who are here and have been here before, but my team enjoys the competition and the competitive side of archery and they’re looking to grow, which they have.”
Ashley Teal is coach of Colorado Mesa, and she explained, “It’s been a whole different experience for our archers because they get to compete with people the same age and abilities, so it’s been fun for them to compete with other colleges and see where they stand.
“And, yes, we will definitely be back next year!”
You can check all the results from Foley and view photographs from each session. If you missed the Mixed Equipment Team Rounds live, then you can watch on USA Archery’s YouTube channel.
Learn more about USA Archery’s Collegiate Archery Program by contacting the Outreach Program Manager at [email protected] or call (719) 866-3452.
