Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Thursday, October 15
Foley, Alabama
10:00 AM
Liberty University Club Sports
at
USA Archery Collegiate 3D Nationals
Head Coach Jason Lynch (from top left) and team members Nicholas Cyrwus, Emily Housepian, Ryan Lynn, Sarah Houpt, Josiah 'Junior' Hanson, and (from bottom left) Anson Payne, Sam Hunter, Chloe Hamilton, Randall Watson, Jolievette Morgan, and Bryce Henak (Photos by Grace Greer)
10/28/2026 6:13:00 PM | Archery
A young squad showed plenty of potential and strengthened team bonds during the Oct. 15-17 USA Archery competition in Foley, Ala.
All 11 members of Liberty University's men's and women's archery teams traveled to Foley, Ala., to open their season at the USA Archery 3D Collegiate National Championships, held Oct. 15-17 at the Graham Creek Nature Preserve and Foley Event Center for a 10th consecutive year.
"We have a really young team this year with four new archers and seven returners, and everybody's kind of learning the ropes," Liberty Head Coach Jason Lynch said. "It is definitely a rebuilding year for us, as seniors made up the bulk of our team last year."
The results were promising as freshman Bryce Henak (315 points) finished 17th and sophomore Samuel Hunter (292) 23rd in the Men's Barebow division. Junior Hanson (315), a senior, placed 32nd in the Men's Recurve competition while sophomore Sarah Houpt (271) finished 37th in Women's Recurve.
Fellow sophomore Emily Housepian (387) captured 36th place in the Women's Compound division while senior Shane Heard (407) and sophomore Ryan Lynn (384) finished 37th and 46th, respectively, among the Men's Compound competitors.
Senior Chloe Hamilton (238) and freshman Jolievette Morgan (222) placed 42nd and 47th, respectively, in the Women's Barebow event. Finally, in the Men's Fixed Pin competition, Randall Watson (317) notched a 59th-place showing and Nicholas Cyrwus (136) finished 67th.
"Pretty much everybody landed in the middle of the pack," Lynch said. "There were not any super high place-finishers, and we had a mixed team score. We were dead in the middle of the pack of 30 or so teams."
He said the team was well prepared, having practiced on its Liberty Mountain Gun Club 3D and field archery courses.
"We have a similar setup on our 3D woods course, although in Foley, Alabama, the woods are more spread out with many more trees," said Lynch, who is considering putting in a bid to host the USA Archery Field Archery Regional Championships in the spring if James Madison University opts not to host it again in Harrisonburg, Va.Â
In Foley, the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) was the overall team champion with 170 points, finishing 21 points ahead of runner-up Rio Grande (Ohio) and third-place Texas A&M.
For the Patriots, who landed atop the podium in the Women's Recurve, Men's Barebow, and Men's Fixed Pins divisions, it was their 10th 3D national title and the 20th national championship (between 3D outdoor, indoor, and field archery) in program history.Â
"(The competition) was larger than last year, and winning scores have steadily climbed year after year," Lynch said. "We're looking to fill a couple more spots in the spring to get our roster level back to normal, in the high teens. That will allow us to compete in the team events, which require three archers in the same discipline. For the outdoor field regionals in the spring, there will be more team events, including mixed categories that we will be able to field three or maybe four teams in."
He looks at the challenge of competing against more experienced archers as more of an opportunity than a problem.
"The whole team is less experienced and learning this year," Lynch said. "Archery's about improving, competing against yourself as much as against others. We always try to improve year after year. You make a benchmark of where you want to perform next year and make that happen."
He said a highlight for the team, aside from the experience of traveling together as a team, was that four of the five team members who returned to the same division that they competed in last year shot personal record scores.
"It was a great trip for team-bonding, and great to see the new team members build some friendships, with lot of good team fellowship time," Lynch said, noting he is hopeful they can help recruit new team members for the spring semester. "We are always looking to improve the numbers on the team."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Â
"We have a really young team this year with four new archers and seven returners, and everybody's kind of learning the ropes," Liberty Head Coach Jason Lynch said. "It is definitely a rebuilding year for us, as seniors made up the bulk of our team last year."
The results were promising as freshman Bryce Henak (315 points) finished 17th and sophomore Samuel Hunter (292) 23rd in the Men's Barebow division. Junior Hanson (315), a senior, placed 32nd in the Men's Recurve competition while sophomore Sarah Houpt (271) finished 37th in Women's Recurve.
Fellow sophomore Emily Housepian (387) captured 36th place in the Women's Compound division while senior Shane Heard (407) and sophomore Ryan Lynn (384) finished 37th and 46th, respectively, among the Men's Compound competitors.
Senior Chloe Hamilton (238) and freshman Jolievette Morgan (222) placed 42nd and 47th, respectively, in the Women's Barebow event. Finally, in the Men's Fixed Pin competition, Randall Watson (317) notched a 59th-place showing and Nicholas Cyrwus (136) finished 67th.
"Pretty much everybody landed in the middle of the pack," Lynch said. "There were not any super high place-finishers, and we had a mixed team score. We were dead in the middle of the pack of 30 or so teams."
He said the team was well prepared, having practiced on its Liberty Mountain Gun Club 3D and field archery courses.
"We have a similar setup on our 3D woods course, although in Foley, Alabama, the woods are more spread out with many more trees," said Lynch, who is considering putting in a bid to host the USA Archery Field Archery Regional Championships in the spring if James Madison University opts not to host it again in Harrisonburg, Va.Â
In Foley, the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) was the overall team champion with 170 points, finishing 21 points ahead of runner-up Rio Grande (Ohio) and third-place Texas A&M.
For the Patriots, who landed atop the podium in the Women's Recurve, Men's Barebow, and Men's Fixed Pins divisions, it was their 10th 3D national title and the 20th national championship (between 3D outdoor, indoor, and field archery) in program history.Â
"(The competition) was larger than last year, and winning scores have steadily climbed year after year," Lynch said. "We're looking to fill a couple more spots in the spring to get our roster level back to normal, in the high teens. That will allow us to compete in the team events, which require three archers in the same discipline. For the outdoor field regionals in the spring, there will be more team events, including mixed categories that we will be able to field three or maybe four teams in."
He looks at the challenge of competing against more experienced archers as more of an opportunity than a problem.
"The whole team is less experienced and learning this year," Lynch said. "Archery's about improving, competing against yourself as much as against others. We always try to improve year after year. You make a benchmark of where you want to perform next year and make that happen."
He said a highlight for the team, aside from the experience of traveling together as a team, was that four of the five team members who returned to the same division that they competed in last year shot personal record scores.
"It was a great trip for team-bonding, and great to see the new team members build some friendships, with lot of good team fellowship time," Lynch said, noting he is hopeful they can help recruit new team members for the spring semester. "We are always looking to improve the numbers on the team."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
Â
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