Ava Denish of Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering hits the mark in state archery championships

MONTGOMERY — Ava Denish of the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering held off a challenge from Vinemont’s Anna Lee McRae to win the Alabama high school girls state archery championship.

Denish posted a score of 292 over McRae’s 288 at the National Archery in the Schools Program Alabama State Championship in Montgomery.

Meanwhile, in the high school boys division, the title came down to a closest to the center measurement.

“This year two competitors were tied for top male archer down to the number of 10s and 9s,” said Lt. Michael Bloxom, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Regional Hunter Education Coordinator. “The title was decided by a shoot-off, which consists of five arrows shot from 15 meters. If a tie remains at the end of the five arrows, each competitor shoots one arrow and the closest to the center of the target wins.

“The title of top male archer and the $2,500 scholarship came down to the one arrow closest to the center. Alexander Roddy (of Alma Bryant High School) took the top spot by a very close margin.”

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division awarded $16,750 in scholarships to select top archers at this year’s event. The top overall female and male archers each received a $2,500 scholarship.

First place high school female and male archers each received a $1,500 scholarship, second place high school female and male archers each received a $1,000 scholarship, and third place high school female and male archers each received a $750 scholarship. The scholarships are funded, in part, by the Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association.

Over the past year, thousands of student archers competed in regional tournaments throughout the state for a chance to draw their bows at the NASP state championships. During the event, nearly 2,000 archers from 105 schools competed for top honors and the opportunity to advance to the NASP Eastern National Championship on May 8-10 in Louisville.

“The Archery in the Schools Program helps prepare these students for life by teaching discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in both the classroom and at the archery range,” said Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship. “Their determination and dedication to both archery and academics will well serve these students now and in the future. I congratulate all of the archers who competed in this year’s state championship.”

Scoring for the state tournament is based on international style target archery in three divisions – elementary, middle and high school. Competition is on team and individual levels. Perfect scores are 3,600 points for teams and 300 for individuals. If archers who place in each division have the same score, the ties are broken by comparing the numbers of 10s from the score sheet. The archers with the most 10s are ranked higher than their competitors.

Top Scores

• Top overall individuals
  Girls: Ava Denish, Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, Score: 292
  Boys: Alexander Roddy, Alma Bryant High, Score: 294
• High school division
  Alma Bryant High, Score: 3,436
  Vinemont High, Score: 3,409
  Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, Score: 3,360
• Middle school division
  Cullman Middle, Score: 3,349
  Causey Middle, Score: 3,335
  Vinemont Middle, Score: 3,267
• Elementary school division
  East Elementary, Score: 3,110
  Vinemont Elementary, Score: 3,078
  Dawes Intermediate, Score: 3,033
• High school girls
  Ava Denish, Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, Score: 292
  Anna Lee McRae, Vinemont High, Score 288
  Brandi Sounonnarath, Alma Bryant High, Score 288*
  Emilie McConnell, Baker High, Score: 288*
  *Tie for third place
• High school boys
  Alexander Roddy, Alma Bryant High, Score 294
  Tyson James, Vinemont Hight, Score 293
  Noah May, Good Hope High, Score: 293
• Middle school girls
  Laila Evans, Heartwood Christian Academy, Score: 292
  Gabby Sartin, Cullman Middle, Score: 289
  Lilliana Smith, Causey Middle, Score: 289
• Middle school boys
  Gunnar Couch, Grand Bay Middle, Score: 294
  Kaiden Richardson, Causey Middle, Score: 292
  Teage Fowler, Beacon of Hope Christian School, Score: 290
• Elementary school girls
  Isabella McDonald, West Elementary, Score: 286
  Sophie Bush, Castlen Elementary, Score: 279
  Payton Lyons, Dixon Elementary, Score: 276
• Elementary school boys
  Trevor Bone, East Elementary, Score: 282
  Phillip Hall, Dawes Intermediate, Score: 281
  Wyatt Cook, Allentown Elementary, Score: 278

Complete results for the 2025 NASP Alabama State Championship are available at https://nasptournaments.org/.

In addition to the top archers, seven students randomly selected from a list of all registered Academic Archers who shot during the tournament were each awarded scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000. They are:

• Judith Thompson, Booth Elementary, $1,000
• Emmett Crowe, Margaret Elementary, $750
• Sophia Burnett, Ashville Middle, $750
• Truitt Lawler, Providence Classical School, $500
• Lily Patrick, Cullman Coyotes (home school), $500
• Parker Harrell, Leeds High, $500
• Gates Bowerman, Good Hope Middle, $500

Alabama’s archery program is coordinated by WFF through partnerships with various schools and supporting organizations in the state. Alabama NASP is an affiliate of the national program and promotes discipline, self-esteem and life skills for students in grades 4-12.

To learn more about Alabama NASP, contact WFF Regional Hunter Education Coordinator Michael Bloxom at 334-242-3620 or [email protected].gov.