DUBLIN, Ohio – The fourth and final instalment of the USAT Qualifier Series, the Rebel Gear Buckeye Classic, will play host to a record-setting field when competition gets underway later this week.
With more than 900 archers registered, it is expected that the Buckeye Classic will set a new high for participants at a USAT Qualifier Series event. That record currently stands at 845, set by last month’s Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown.
It is a sign of impressive growth in 2026, with the participation record having previously been held by the 2023 AAE Arizona Cup, which attracted 792 archers.
And the USAT Qualifier Series opener for 2026, the Easton Foundations Gator Cup, was the largest in the event’s 17-year history.
As the final event in the USAT Qualifier Series, so senior archers in barebow, compound and recurve have their final opportunity to cement a spot in the USAT Series Final, which will take place in Springfield, Mo. on August 12, immediately prior to the 142nd USA Archery Target Nationals and 2026 U.S. Open.
The USAT Series Final will feature eight athletes per gender in the three aforementioned disciplines, competing in head-to-head elimination matches following World Archery rules.
Athletes will qualify for the USAT Series Final by either winning a USAT Stage (placing first in an elimination round) or by accumulating the highest USAT Series Final Placement Points across events.
You can see where archers stand after three of the four events in the USAT Qualifier Series.
A whole host of archers return to Dublin to defend their titles. Among them are leading recurve archers, Brady Ellison (recurve men) and Casey Kaufhold (recurve women), both of whom have already qualified for the USAT Series Final.
Other defending champions heading to Dublin include Janis Grellner (recurve 50+ women), Sachiko Keane (compound women), George Ryals IV (compound 50+ men), Sharon Totton (compound 50+ women), Michael Weaver (barebow men), Bill Whitman (barebow 50+ men), Michelle O’Donnell (barebow 50+ women), Elizabeth Ahn (recurve U21 women), Joseph Diesta (recurve U21 men), McKenna Smith (barebow U18 women), Destinie Brown (fixed pins U21 women), Chase Manor (fixed pins U18 men), Ryan Lindstrom (W1 Open Men), Jordan White (para recurve men), Karen Sternfeld (para recurve women) and KJ Polish (para compound men).
Competition begins with Team Rounds on Thursday afternoon. The final USAT Qualifier Series event then gets underway on Friday morning at Darree Soccer Fields. You can follow scores and results. There will also be photos uploaded at the end of each session, and on Sunday – starting at 2pm ET – the event wraps up with live coverage of the gold medal matches in (senior) compound, barebow and recurve on USA Archery’s YouTube channel.
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