Carlton & Flack place second in mixed teams; Union places sixth overall in national tournament
Statesboro, Ga. - Union Commonwealth University recently competed in the 2024 USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals. The Bulldogs secured sixth place overall, while Texas A&M placed first.
Union's highest finish was by Daniel Carlton and Rachel Flack. They competed in the compound mixed team division where they placed second with a final score of 150, which was only four points behind Pikeville who took first place.
Ranking Rounds:
The Bulldogs started off by competing in ranking rounds on Friday. Qualification scores determine placements for elimination rounds on day two as well as the official team and mixed team events on day two and three respectively.
In the men's compound division, Carlton qualified fourth with a total score of 701. Sergio Edgar Martinez Cruz followed in seventh where he recorded a total score of 698. In 37th place, with a score of 661, was Jacob Newby.
Flack qualified fifth in the women's compound division with a total score of 685. Ashley Coffing followed in eighth place with a total score of 680. In 35th place, with a score of 646, was Ruthie Mesengale.
In the men's barebow division, Kyle Coffey led the way by shooting a 599 to qualify second. Johnathan Stanley followed with a total score of 548 to qualify in seventh.
Abigail Ward qualified 23rd in women's fixed pins with a total score of 623. In men's fixed pins, Evan Miller led the way by qualifying 10th with a final score of 675. Taylor Gwynette qualified 32nd with a final score of 645.
Elimination Round:
Coffey collected the highest individual finish for the Bulldogs during elimination rounds. Coffey made his way to the bronze medal match in the men's barebow division. After a back-and-forth match, he ultimately fell to an archer from Lindenwood University to place fourth.
Carlton led the way in the men's compound division by winning his first three matches. Unfortunately, his day was cut short when he was eliminated in the quarterfinals as he finished in the top-eight individually.
In women's compound, Coffing and Flack won their first two matches each, but were both eliminated in the 1/8th round.
Miller led the way in men's fixed pins where he won his first three matches. He fell short in the quarterfinals, but did secure an individual top-eight finish. In the women's fixed pins, Ward won her first two matches, but was eliminated in the 1/8th round.
Official Team Round:
Flack, Coffing, and Masengale led the way in official team rounds in the women's compound division. The trio made their way to the bronze medal match, but ultimately came in fourth place when they lost to Lindsey Wilson.
Carlton, Newby, and Cruz followed with a top-eight finish in the men's compound division. They were eliminated by Pikeville in the quarterfinals.
Mixed Team Round:
In the mixed team fixed pins division, Miller and Ward took on James Madison University where they tied with a score of 145. Ultimately, the Bulldogs fell to James Madison during the 1/8th round in a one-arrow, closest to center shoot-off.
Carlton and Flack made their way through the compound division in the mixed team event. They defeated Michigan State University in the 1/8th round and then won a one-arrow, closest to center shoot-off against Columbia University.
This led the duo to the semifinals where they shot a 157 against Emmanuel College to advance to the finals. Ultimately, Carlton and Flack placed second after falling to Pikeville in the gold medal match with a score of 150.