Benton Elementary School Captures World Championship in NASP World Tournament

June 19, 2018 – Benton Elementary School won the elementary world championship in the bullseye and 3-D Challenge divisions of the National Archery in Schools Program World Tournament held in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 7-9.

A total of six schools represented Louisiana at the NASP World Tournament through the Archery in Louisiana Schools program, administered through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

Benton Elementary compiled a score of 3,317 to win the title. Hannah McKenzie led Benton Elementary, finishing fifth individually in elementary girls with a score of 284. Teammate Emerson Fite was ninth (282) and Anna Young was 10 th (280). A total of 616 girls competed in the elementary division.

Kingston Elementary finished second in the bullseye and the 3-D Challenge for the elementary division with a score of 3,290. Caden Staggs led Kingston with a score of 286 finishing eighth out of 762 elementary boys. Spencer Campbell finished ninth with a score of 286 also but with two less 10s. Mikayela Sanchez finished seventh in elementary girls with a score of 284.

In the middle school division, Benton Middle finished second out of 92 teams in the bullseye event with a score of 3,403. Emma Rutledge was the top shooter for Benton Middle with a score 291, placing her in fourth out of 885 middle school girls. 

Haughton Middle finished third in the middle school division with a score of 3,391. The Buccaneer’s top shooter was Katelyn Baker with a score of 289 landing her in ninth place in the middle school girl’s division.

In the NASP International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) 3-D Challenge, Benton Elementary’s first place team consisted of three top ten shooters contributing to their score of 1,645. Anna Young finished second out of 171 elementary girls with a score of 282. Mason Hicks shot a 278 with 15 bullseyes placing him ninth out of 204 elementary boys. Tyler Pope’s score of 278 with 12 bullseyes was good enough for a top ten finish. 

Kingston Elementary scored 1,633 which was good enough for a second place finish in the IBO 3-D challenge. Mikayela Sanchez finished seventh in elementary school girls with a score 280. Jackson Vickers finished seventh in elementary boys with a score of 279.  Spencer Campbell earned the eighth position with a score of 278.

Benton Middle’s Cassidy Walters help secure Benton’s third place finish with a score of 287, placing her in sixth place for middle school girls. Benton Middle scored 1,701.  Haughton Middle placed fourth out of 46 other teams with a team score of 1,685.

Northwood High School also represented Louisiana and shot a 1,580.

Northwood’s Case Smith had the highest score for the state in elementary boys with a 283. That score placed him fifth out of 204 elementary boys. 

The World Tournament provides an opportunity for students not only in the United States but also for other countries to come together to share the commonality and enthusiasm for the sport of archery. Countries that were invited to the event included the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Mongolia, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. NASP is designed for student archers in grades four through 12.

The ALAS program teaches NASP to students as part of the in-school curriculum. The ALAS program is available to all Louisiana schools, public and private.

For more information about the ALAS program, contact Chad Moore at cmoore@wlf.la.gov or 318-230-4352.