It is 30 years since a 13-year-old girl from Orange County in California traveled to Jakarta in Indonesia and returned home with the USA’s first compound gold medal at a senior world championship.
Angela Moscarelli was an individual bronze and team gold medalist in 1994 at the World Youth Championships in Italy. She won gold at World Youth in 1996 when staged in Chula Vista, Calif but it was in 1995 where the teenager truly left her mark.
By August of 1995, Moscarelli was on the senior team, alongside Michelle Ragsdale, Inga Low and Anne Bessette.
Low took the bronze, but the star of the 1995 World Archery Championships was Angela Moscarelli, who took the title in a narrow final.
Ragsdale would go on to claim seven world titles and 16 national titles, and she and husband Terry were inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame in 2018.
In the three decades since that historic win, the USA’s compound women have remained among the best in the world, setting new standards at home and abroad, consistently vying for podium places and inspiring the next generation.
Erika Jones medaled at World Archery Championships, won World Games and the World Cup Final. Jamie Van Natta won it twice and the two have 37 and 44 world cup circuit medals respectively, putting them among the three highest medaling compound women in the history of the sport.
The USA won two more World Archery Championship team titles, more than any other nation. Mary Zorn was the first woman to shoot a Vegas 900 and won the 2003 World Archery Championships and three Indoor titles. Paige Pearce is the world’s only five-time World Archery Youth Champion and the only woman to win three consecutive World Archery Field Championships. Alexis Ruiz medaled at every Archery World Cup event in her debut season. Liko Arreola became the world’s youngest Archery World Cup Champion at 15. And the list of compound women’s archery royalty goes on and on.
Olivia Dean is herself still a teenager and yet has swiftly emerged as one of the best in the world. The 18-year-old made the finals of every USAT Qualifier Series event in 2024, winning two and the U.S. Open. She also was part of four medal winning teams on the world stage in the last year and is the reigning World Archery Youth Championships U18 mixed team champion and women’s team silver medalist.
Lia Coryell set standards in para archery in the W1 division, leading to appearances at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games, as well as four World Championships teams. She won gold at the 2022 World Para Archery Championships in Dubai before retiring from competition.
Crystal Gauvin skyrocketed to success, quickly medaling at the World Archery Championships, Indoor Championships, Archery World Cup and its Final, in addition to competing on the world stage in Field Archery.
Wendy Gardner won mixed team gold at the 2023 Para Pan Am Games in Santiago, alongside KJ Polish. In 2024, she claimed all para compound women’s open national records and raised the score on many of which were already her own.
These four prolific women archers were influenced by other women. For Olivia it was Paige Pearce and Tanja Gellenthien. For Lia it was coach Randi Smith. Crystal points to Erika Jones, who was the top female compound archer in the world at the time. Wendy thanks Linda Ochoa Anderson, Alexis Ruiz and – once again – Paige Pearce.
For Lia, that influence was not restricted to the sport of archery. She explains, “I met Coach Randi at an adaptive sports clinic where I fell in love with the sport. I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to compete. Especially after I was classified as a W1.
“I didn’t want to be a W1 because I didn’t want to be ‘the most impaired’. In my mind that meant I was also the ‘most broken”’ I was brand new to my life as a wheelchair user and struggling to accept that my chair would make me stand out among people. That they would stare and whisper ‘what a shame’. I wanted none of that.
“Randi pulled me aside and told me that the USA had never had a W1 female compete at a high enough level to qualify for the Para USAT or any other Team USA team. She encouraged me to use my archery career as a platform for changing perceptions of profoundly impaired female archers. She challenged me to make a difference and to lead the way for other W1 females. I took that challenge and ran with it.
“In 2015, I became the first W1 female archer to make the Para USAT team and the World Championship Team. Turns out that I was the only W1 female archer in the Americas/western hemisphere. I competed as a “guest’ in the men’s division for many years. I made it a priority to seek out other women and assist them and their coaches in finding adaptations that worked for women. I was the first Para female coach to become a Level 4 Coach.”
As to why the USA produces so many world-class women compound archers, the answers vary.
Olivia Dean
“I believe the U.S. Woman are very strong in compound archery because we work extremely hard. After being around the U.S. women more and more I realize just how extremely dedicated to the sport we all are. A day doesn’t go by that we don’t think about archery, and I think that is why we keep getting better and better.”
Wendy Gardner
“I would say one factor that gives us an advantage would be our readily available access to the best compound equipment there is. Another would be our love of the sport of hunting; many of our women are excellent hunters and competitors.”
Crystal Gauvin
“The historical dominance of U.S. women in compound archery stems from a combination of key factors. As the birthplace of the compound bow, the United States fostered a deep-rooted archery culture that helped mainstream the discipline far earlier than in many other countries. Proximity to major compound bow manufacturers has also played a role, granting U.S. athletes access to cutting-edge equipment and technical expertise. However, the success of U.S. women in the sport extends well beyond this foundational advantage.
“A crucial element has been the "rising tide" effect within U.S. women’s compound archery. The presence of multiple elite performers has made simply qualifying for the U.S. World Cup team an extraordinary challenge - often requiring archers to outperform international champions. This intense domestic competition has created a positive feedback loop, where athletes must maintain world-class standards just to earn a spot on the team. As a result, they arrive at global events battle-tested, confident, and ready to perform at the highest level.
“Another key factor is the well-established tournament circuit, which provides a structured developmental pathway. Frequent high-level competition allows female archers to refine their skills under pressure, fostering resilience and consistency. Additionally, the early adoption of equal prize money in events has contributed to women in the sport seeing themselves as just as important as the men.
“Perhaps most importantly, success has become self-perpetuating through strong role models. Generations of young female archers in the U.S. have grown up witnessing their peers excel on the world stage, making international success feel both tangible and attainable. This visibility has inspired new waves of athletes, reinforcing the depth of talent that continues to define U.S. women’s compound archery.”
And it is perhaps those last words from Crystal which will resonate most. The archers in the compound women’s division who have gone before, breaking down barriers while raising the bar, have paved the way for the young talent coming through.
“I think I am starting to become more aware of the impact me and other female archers are having on future generations for archery,” began Olivia. “Every time I participate in a ‘meet the pros’ event, it is so amazing to see how excited some of the kids get to meet us and what kind of questions they have to ask. And it is an unreal feeling for me personally because I used to be the little kid on the other side of the table looking up to all the amazing archers.”
Crystal and Lia have sat on various boards, both at World Archery and USA Archery level. The ability to influence positive change goes well beyond the archery line.
“In many ways, I feel that my contributions as Chair of the World Archery Athlete Committee, an executive board member, and previously a member of USA Archery’s AAC have done more to advance opportunities for women than any individual success I’ve had as an archer,” suggested Crystal. “Advocating for greater support, visibility, and resources for female archers has been incredibly important to me.
“Additionally, helping to shift the perspective of industry sponsors - demonstrating that women not only influence buyers and drive equipment sale but the fastest growing consumer segment themselves - was another area where I believe I’ve played a role.
“This recognition has led to increased sponsorship opportunities and better representation of women in archery marketing and product development. Continuing to change that mindset is key to ensuring long-term investment in female athletes and furthering equality in the sport.”
We began referencing a 13-year-old sensation named Angela Moscarelli, and the list of compound women archers who have gone on to fly the flag for the United States continues to grow and includes the likes of Mary Hamm (nee Zorn), Amber Dawson, Jahna Davis, Jamie van Natta, Tara Swanney, Erika Jones (nee Anschutz), Christie Colin, Crystal Gauvin, Paige Pearce, Alexis Ruiz, Cassidy Cox, Danelle Lutz, Liko Arreola, Makenna Proctor, Lexi Keller, Diane Watson and many more.
And we cannot celebrate the compound conveyor belt of talent without a tip of the hat to Linda Beck, a pioneer of the Compound Junior Dream Team and Regional Dream Team programs.
For those women unsure about stepping into the world of archery, Wendy Gardner offered this advice, “Don’t say you can’t do something unless you’ve truly tried! Show up, do your best, quit comparing yourself to others and be the support and encouragement that someone else needs. Rise above your circumstances and be an inspiration to others. And always, always be kind!”
Get behind the USA's top women compound archers and the entire USAT at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Auburndale, Fla. from April 8-13. Tickets are available via Eventbrite.
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