November 19, 2024

No shortage of talent as USA Archery announces 2025 United States Archery Team

Photo by World Archery

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Archery (USAA) has announced the 2025 United States Archery Team (USAT) for U18, U21, Senior, 50+ and Barebow. Athletes earned ranking points at 2024 USAT Series and National level events to earn coveted team slots.

There were many stand-out performances by USA archers in 2024, but where to start?

Olivia Dean claimed two gold and two silver across the four USAT events in the Senior compound women division. Richard Burkett Jr. (pictured) excelled in 2024 in the Para compound men open as well as the compound 50+ men’s division, having medaled in both categories this year, including 50+ gold at the Rebel Gear Buckeye Classic.

Madalynn Puryear had quite the year, also, winning gold at AAE Arizona Cup, Easton Foundations Gator Cup and the Buckeye Classic in fixed pins U21 women’s division.

The last 18 months has seen a dramatic climb in the quality of the barebow women’s division. Leading the way this year has been Cindy Czako – winner of the first three USAT events – as well as Diane Cochran and Maggie Brensinger.

Cochran was a silver medalist in two USATs before winning the Buckeye Classic and U.S. Open to finish off the outdoor season. Brensinger was steady throughout, beginning with victory at the Indoor Nationals Final in Louisville, Ky., while also managing to regain the U21 world record at the Chinook Seedery USA Archery Target Nationals & U.S. Open.

Alexandria Zuleta-Visser was the recipient of the Shenk Award this year, presented to the senior male and female archer in the recurve division with the highest combined scores in the U.S. National Indoor, Field and Target Nationals. She joins a deep talent pool in the recurve senior women’s team.

“Being named again in 2025 to go on the trips and compete will be amazing,” Zuleta-Visser said. “Making it onto the World Cup team has been a goal of mine for a while. This shows that all the work, time, and energy I've put in to achieve this goal is paying off.”

Akshara Vijay’s form in ’24 has earned her a spot in the recurve senior women’s team. This time last year, the 16-year-old was making her way onto the U18 team. Christian Stoddard (pictured), meanwhile, finds himself on the recurve senior men’s team for the first time. The teenager is part of the USAA Resident Athlete (RA) Program based at Chula Vista in California. Among his highlights this year was a silver at Gator Cup.

He said, “My performance in 2024 was a result of the past two years in the RA Program. Getting to work daily with the US national coaches since the beginning of 2023 has really helped me bring my performance to this next level.

“The RA program has really helped me refine not only my shot process, but also how I train both on and off the field as well as how I approach competitions from a mental standpoint.

“Being able to train daily with some of our county’s best shooters is always a great help - while we all want to beat each other, we also want to see each other succeed.”

Zuleta-Visser is also part of the Resident Athlete Program. She added, “The RA program has helped me immensely. Being surrounded by others with similar high-level goals allows us to push each other and hold each of us accountable during practice sessions.

“Having other teammates is also an invaluable resource since we can discuss different aspects of technique and equipment any time we want.

“Since a lot of resources are available here, it allows more time and energy to be focused on practice and performance as opposed to being concerned about nutrition, meals, rent, and exercise along with saving on the time to commute and setting up a range.”

Aged 18, Stoddard is the youngest on the recurve senior men’s team, standing alongside more seasoned archers such as Olympians Brady Ellison, Jacob Wukie and Jack Williams. Stoddard added, “I am really proud of making my first senior team and hopefully this is a big stepping stone for bigger things. I am excited to have made the World Cup team for 2025 and am looking forward to putting myself up against the best archers that the world has to offer.”

Texas A&M University is well represented in the recurve senior men’s team, with Trenton Cowles joined by Alex Gilliam and Venugopal Kunnavakkam. Add to that, Carson Krahe (pictured) in the compound women, Sawyer Sullivan in compound men and Catalina GNoriega in recurve women, and the Aggies have quite the haul.

University of the Cumberlands are not without talent on the various teams. Isaac Sullivan has stepped up to compound senior men, having been compound U21 men in 2024. Four of the five on the compound U21 women’s team are from the University of the Cumberlands, Lilie Aguilar, Brianna Laux, Lanie Nish and Sierra Sands. Landyn Cox makes the U21 compound men’s team. His sister, Madison – a University of the Cumberlands graduate – returns to the compound senior women’s team.

In the 50+ division, there are many familiar names once again on the USAT. On the recurve 50+ women’s side, there is Janis Grellner and Melissa McAvoy, while Sharon Totton (pictured) and Tamara Fontenot will again represent in compound 50+ women, a category which sees Alanna Dunaway return. Grellner first picked up a bow in her mid-30s while at an outdoor camp; her first bow being a compound she won as part of a silent auction at the camp!

On the men’s side, Ron Gosnell, Ted Holland, Mark Williams (all recurve 50+ men), Kenneth Brunko (compound 50+ men) and Rick Stonebraker (barebow 50+ men) are among those to have ‘been here before’, while Mark Hainline (recurve 50+ men) – who turned 50 last December – qualifies at the first attempt.

There are new names on the para team as well, among them 17-year-old Kimberly Garcia (pictured below). She has made the compound women open team, alongside Wendy Gardner, Brandi Jones and Catalina Bustamante.

The Texas teenager said, “My one goal in archery that I set for myself when I was 8 years old was that I would make the USAT team before I graduated high school. Finally accomplishing that goal feels incredible and makes me excited for the future and what is to come.

“Knowing I have worked so hard over the last 10 years and have been able to balance school and archery has shown me how much I am capable of accomplishing.

“In 2024, l put my form down to my release and the work I have put into my balance. In late March right before Arizona Cup I changed releases, my hand placement/finger pressure on my release, and how l used my back to make the release go off.

“All of this contributed to me being more consistent and able to shoot for longer periods of time. These changes also made me feel more stable in my shot in the wind which increased confidence in my shot.”

Garcia places a large part of her development and progression this year down to being part of the Regional Elite Program, with support and education provided at camps. She added, “I now have friends my age that shoot, which as a teenager is quite difficult to find when it comes to para archery because most people who compete in the sport are adults.

“The scoring, match play, and team round practice that I had at camp in June were very helpful going into mixed teams at outdoor nationals as I knew what to expect.

“In 2025, I plan to hopefully attend my first international tournament and join a collegiate archery team. I start college in the Fall of 2025, and I am looking forward to being on a collegiate team and being in that environment.”

In being named to the USAT, archers earn the right to wear USA across their backs on a special team jersey and are provided discounts and products from generous USA Archery partners. In addition, top ranked Senior and Para athletes receive stipends and other support from USA Archery and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which can be viewed here.

Athlete rankings also determine who is invited to represent the United States on the Archery World Cup circuit and at other major international events per the Outdoor World Cup and other International Event athlete selection procedures. Eligible USAT athletes may also apply for Short-Term Training and other High Performance Programs.

2025 United States Archery Team (USAT)

50+

SENIOR

PARA

U21

U18

 

< Back to All News