A busy but crucial few weeks beckons for Brady Ellison, starting with the 2024 USA Archery Field Nationals in Indiana while including the Final Qualifying Tournament (FQT) for the Olympic Games later this month in Turkey.
Ellison is among a large field that is in Noblesville, Ind. over the next few days not only competing for honors at the Field Nationals but also vying to make the US team for the 2024 World Archery Field Championships in Canada in September. The event will serve as the World Field Trials.
From Indiana, Ellison will then make his way to Chula Vista in California for the 2024 Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown (June 6-9), before departing for Turkey with teammates Jack Williams and Trenton Cowles as they bid to secure the remaining two quota slots for the Paris Games. So far, the men have just the one slot, which will be taken by Ellison.
The FQT takes place June 14-17 and will be immediately followed by the Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 3, from June 18-23.
This will be the first time that Noblesville – which is 28 miles north of Indianapolis – has hosted the USA Archery Field Nationals. Two of the last three years this event has been held in Darrington, Wash., either side of a visit to Yankton, S.D.
The venue is situated in Strawtown Koteewi (pronounced ko-TAY-wee) Park, which covers nearly 800 acres, offers over nine miles of trails and stretches along three miles of the White River – the main tributary to the Wabash River.
With its woodlands, historic wetlands and immense prairie, plus being home to various wildlife species, the Strawtown Koteewi Park is rich in biodiversity and makes for a wonderful setting.
The USA Archery Field Nationals will involve archers shooting at unmarked as well as marked targets. Unmarked means that in addition to judging the target face's size and angle of shooting, archers also must judge the distance they are shooting at for a truly great challenge. This will be the test awaiting archers on Monday morning.
Ellison returns as defending champion, having finished ahead of Matt Nofel and Gabe Anderson 12 months ago.
Paige Pearce claimed the compound women’s title last time out and will feature in Noblesville, as will 2023 champions Molly Nugent (recurve women), Gary Yamaguchi (recurve 50+ men) and Kari Caulfield (barebow women).
Pearce won gold at the previous World Archery Field Championships, in Yankton S.D. (2022). The USA also claimed gold in the men’s division last time around, won by Dave Cousins. Pearce and Cousins combined for gold in the compound mixed team.
Brady Ellison won back-to-back gold in 2014 (Croatia) and 2016 (Ireland). Jesse Broadwater and Steve Anderson took gold in the compound men in those successive events. The USA has won gold in compound men six of the last seven World Archery Field Championships, including back-to-back for Broadwater (2012-2014). Nofel returned with silver in recurve men when the event was last held, in 2022, while Ellison and Savannah Vanderwier took recurve mixed team bronze.
Photos from Sunday's practice day, as well as action images from each day of competition, can be found HERE.
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