NEWBERRY, Fla. - The Easton Newberry Sports Complex hosted the U.S. Team Trials for the 2014 World Archery Indoor Championships. A mix of talented veteran archers and several new faces will comprise the U.S. team that will compete in Nimes, France in February.
Junior and senior archers shot a qualification round of 120 arrows, which determined the top eight archers in each category. Those top eight archers went on to shoot round robin matches - each archer facing each other archer in the category one time - earning points toward team qualification.
Big names contested the top slots for compound men; ultimately, superstars Braden Gellenthien (Hudson, Mass.), Jesse Broadwater (Jennerstown, Pa.) and Reo Wilde (Pocatello, Idaho) prevailed to punch their tickets for France.
The compound women had three clear choices from qualification through match play. Indoor compound world champions Erika Jones (Grand Island, Neb.) and Christie Colin (Raymond, Maine) will be joined in Nimes by recent Indoor World Cup gold medalist Crystal Gauvin (Dayville, Conn.).
The recurve women's category saw new names and breakout performances; Meghan Collins (High Springs, Fla.), just 14 years old, qualified first for the senior division. Rebekah McLeod (Houston, Tex.) held second while the battle for the final ticket to France was hotly contested. Laura Shelton (Bethlehem, Pa.) climbed to the third place finish to clinch her spot on the team.
Indoor world champions Brady Ellison (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Victor Wunderle (College Station, Tex.) qualified and finished first and second for the Team Trials, while Jake Kaminski (Gainesville, Fla.) and rising star, Jeremiah Cusick (Chula Vista, Calif.) shot a tie breaker match for the final spot. Cusick was the victor and will join Olympians Ellison and Wunderle in France.
LaNola Pritchard (Chula Vista, Calif.), Paige Hill (Sugar Land, Tex.), and Elizabeth Caughell (Seattle, Wash.) earned their spots on the junior women's recurve team thanks to standout shooting throughout the weekend. Alex Wifler (Crete, Ill.) dominated the junior men's recurve competition and will head to France, joined by Cameron Pyles (Buford, Ga.) and Ryan Oliver (Newberry, Fla.).
Following the senior compound women, the junior division saw
three women take an early lead and stay ahead throughout the weekend; Brogan
Williams (Stillwater, Okla.), Lexi Keller (Omro, Wisc.), and Emily Bee
(Hartland, Mich.). The junior compound
men also had three clear contenders who earned spots on the team: Charlie
Weinstein (Readfield, Maine), Bridger Deaton (Pella, Iowa), and Dillon McGeorge
(Loganville, Ga.).
The World Archery Indoor Championships will take place from
Feb. 25- Mar. 2, 2014 in Nimes, France. Join USA Archery on Facebook, Twitter
and Google Plus with event hashtag #WAIC2014 to follow updates throughout this
event.
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