Local Student Archers Excel At National Tournament

For the first time in the Eastern National Tournament of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), a student archer shot a perfect score of 300 to take top honors in their division. That feat was accomplished by Gunnar Couch, a seventh-grader from Grand Bay Middle School, during the event held in Kentucky in May. For his first-place finish in the overall high school division, Couch received a $1,000 scholarship and the opportunity to compete for a $5,000 scholarship at the NASP Championship in Florida. In addition to shooting a perfect individual score in the bullseye portion of the tournament, Gunnar placed third overall in the IBO/3D Challenge (animal-shaped targets). Another first-place finisher was Makynzie Thompson, a fifth-grader at Dawes Intermediate School. Thompson also received a $1,000 college scholarship and the opportunity to compete for a $5,000 scholarship. More than 15,500 archers from 31 states competed in the NASP Eastern National Tournament. Of the 724 students from 38 Alabama schools, three school teams from Alabama and six individual archers placed in the top 10 of their respective divisions. In team competition, Alma Bryant High School took first place in the overall high school division, Causey Middle School took fifth place in the overall middle school division, and Cullman Middle School placed sixth in the overall middle school division. See more winners here.