Cauthen wins 3D championship at NASP worlds
Jake Cauthen of Cameron won the top plaque in 3D shooting for middle school boys at the National Archery in Schools Program World Championships, which took place June 23-25 in Louisville, Ky.
Cauthen shot 292 with 24 bullseyes to beat 240 middle-school boys.
“It came down to the wire,” said Cameron’s archery coach Hank Austin. “Jake shot on Thursday and held first place over three days of competition. It was nerve racking because most of the top shooters compete in the last flight (round) on Saturday. A young man from Missouri tied Jake’s score on Saturday but fell short by two tens (two arrows) on the tiebreaker. It was close and proves that every shot counts. Most of Jake’s competitors shoot 3D at the local and state level all season, but we don’t compete in 3D in Oklahoma, which makes his win even more special. Several NASP coaches in Oklahoma are hoping to come up with a way to add 3D to our local and state tournaments over the next few years.”
Leighton Dyer, who was in her first appearance at the world championship, placed 37th out of 233 middle-school girls and 12th out of 62 seventh-grade girls in the 3D shoot by shooting 275 with 14 bullseyes.
“Our young ladies that competed last week represented our team very well,” Austin said. “These girls worked hard, and it paid off. I’m fortunate to be able to work with a great group of students and parents.”
Jordyn Rivera took 49th out of 152 high-school girls and 15th out of 40 10th-grade girls in the 3D shoot by scoring 274 with 13 bullsyes.
Hayle Parker was 83rd out of middle-school girls and 26th among seventhgrade girls in the 3D shoot as she scored 262 with eight bullseyes.
In the open shoot, Cauthen shot 285 on Thursday and finished 17th out of 417 middle-school boys and ninth out of 144 eighth-grade boys.
“Jake has a 3D and bullseye range setup at home. The kid eats, sleeps, and breathes archery. He never misses a practice or tournament,” Austin said. “Jake is a leader in our program and he’s always willing to help peer coach and encourage his teammates. This is an amazing individual accomplishment for him, but he wants his team to succeed too. He wants those team awards. That’s the kind of attitude any coach would want and be proud of.”
Dyer shot 283 on Friday to place ninth among seventh grade girls and 23rd among 432 middle-school girls, beating her entering ranking by 22 spots. Dyer hit 16 bullseyes.
Rivera scored 279 to place 81st among 393 high-schoolers and 21st among 10th graders. She hit 13 bullseyes. Parker shot 264.
Overall, 1,098 boys and 1,104 girls participated in the world championships.
“Archery was something I wanted to start when I came to Cameron four years ago. Through dedication and hard work from the students and Coach Austin we have far exceeded the expectations that I thought we would get at this stage in the juncture. We are so proud of Jake but also, we had three young ladies, Jordyn, Leighton, and Hayle that competed last week and represented Cameron very well. We’re proud of all these kids,” Cameron Public Schools Superintendent John Long said.
The archery program at Cameron will have a new practice facility opening in the fall, along with the school’s new high school and sports arena.