LAS VEGAS, Nevada. – Names of the 48 archers set to contest the USA Archery Indoor Nationals Final have been confirmed, with the Horseshoe Las Vegas Event Center due to host the 2025 edition on the morning of March 5.
Reigning champions across all but one of the six divisions will be returning to defend their title, among them Brady Ellison, Casey Kaufhold, Paige Pearce, Zackary Bisinger and Maggie Brensinger.
Kaufhold will be aiming to make it six wins in a row at the Indoor Nationals Final. The last person to beat Kaufhold at the USA Archery Indoor Nationals Final was Mackenzie Brown in the 2018 recurve women’s gold medal match.
Olympic mixed team bronze medalist Kaufhold starts against Olivia Martin. Her Paris teammate Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez meets one of many debutants at the Indoor Nationals Final with a quarterfinal match against 15-year-old Jessimi Lyu, who narrowly missed out on appearing in 2024.
Ellison heads to Vegas as defending champion in the recurve men’s division, having regained his title in 2024. The 2023 champion Jack Williams will be among his rivals, as will 16-year-old surprise package Caelan Shanklin. Shanklin plays Alex Gilliam in his opening match.
Shanklin is number two seed in recurve men, while 15-year-old Medina Otajagic will be top seed in barebow women, ahead of defending champion Brensinger. Otajagic featured at the 2024 as the sixth seed, finishing fourth. The 2024 silver medalist Ava Jones also returns, with the 17-year-old eager to go one better than 12 months ago.
As well as the teenagers on show, there will also be a good deal of experience in the barebow women’s division, with Chrissie Lyons and Barbara Carroll confirmed for the Indoor Nationals Final. Lyons took gold in the 50+ category, with Carroll the winner in 70+. That means, the first round of matches in barebow women will involve Otajagic versus Carroll, a 15-year-old up against a 70-year-old. Lyons takes on Brensinger.
Paige Pearce has won five of the last six in compound women. The only other winner in that time is Olivia Dean, the champion from 2022. Pearce will begin against Cassidy Cox, with Dean tackling Toja Ellison.
The 2024 champion in compound men, Parker Baker, will not be in Vegas to defend his crown but the 2022 champion Braden Gellenthien will be, as will James Lutz whose 2024 included a perfect path to gold at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Final. Kyle Douglas and Sawyer Sullivan were joint national champions in compound men. Sullivan will face Grady Kane with Douglas tackling Gellenthien.
Brothers Brian and Nick Way return to the Indoor Nationals Final in barebow men. Nick was the silver medalist in Louisville last year and begins his quest to go one better with a quarterfinal match-up against 17-year-old Luke Thornsbury. Zackary Bisinger starts his defense against eighth seed Colby Cox. Brian faces Kyle Coffey.
Elimination rounds through the bronze medal matches will be followed by live coverage of the gold medal matches in barebow, recurve and compound on USA Archery's YouTube channel, starting at 10am PT.
