Apr. 23—JAMESTOWN — St. John’s Academy might be a little light on attendance next week.
“Our (archery) team placed first as a middle school team at the state tournament which earned them the opportunity to go and compete at the national tournament in Sandy, Utah,” said Chris Althoff, an assistant coach for St. John’s archery team.
The national tournament will begin on April 25 with a team bullseye competition. The tournament will conclude on April 26 with a team 3D competition. Most of the archers will travel to Utah on April 23.
“We’ve been continuing to practice three days a week and have also been organizing and planning the trip and getting funding for the trip from some different sources,” Althoff said.
Althoff said the team’s trip to Utah has been funded in part by the Buffalo City. The archery team has received generous donations from United Sportsmen Chapter, Stutsman County Wildlife Club and the Knights of Columbus. Between all of the donors, there has been $8,000 raised.
“I think (the community) sees this as a good opportunity for the kids of Jamestown and St. John’s Academy to go out and shoot at a higher level,” Althoff said. “It’s a great opportunity for this team and for these archers.”
The national tournament is a perfect way to cap off St. Johns’ storybook season.
At State, the middle school team took first place in the bullseye competition with a total score of 3,240. It was the highest team score across all three divisions. McKenna Lipetzky, a standout on the middle school team, captured first place in middle school girls bullseye competition with an impressive score of 292. Lipetzky was named the overall bullseye runner-up. Leah Mann placed 10th in middle school girls with a score of 275.
The middle school team also secured first place in 3D with a total score of 1,643. It was the second highest team score across all divisions. In individual accolades, Ethan Krapp led the charge with a first place finish in middle school boys (287), followed closely by Joe Bahr, who placed third with a 280.
Lipetzky continued her stellar performance, finishing second in middle school girls in 3D with a score of 278.
“They are starting practices early in the fall and then we start shooting tournaments in January and go until March,” Althoff said of why St. John’s has found success. “These kids are dedicated and willing to practice and want to get better.”
Of the 20 archers who shot at the state tournament, 16 will be making the trip to Utah.
While St. John’s is among the smaller-sized teams, the team is no stranger to the national stage. Althoff said the school’s elementary 3D team competed last year. In 2023, the entire middle school squad competed at nationals.
The Western National Tournament kicks off the 2025 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) national tournament series. The Western National will be followed by the Eastern National Tournament to be held in Louisville, Kentucky on May 8-10. The series of national-level competitions will culminate with the NASP Championship Tournament to be held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on June 5-7.
Top teams and individuals will be selected from the combined results of both Western and Eastern National tournaments to have the opportunity to register for the championship.
“We’re excited about what the team has accomplished,” Althoff said. “They have come together and encouraged each other and have continued to compete at a high level. Our hopes for them is that they just go out there and compete at the best level they can. I am excited that they can go out to Utah and compete with all of the other teams in the Western National Tournament.”