MONROE CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Mark Twain Lake Friends of Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Stewardship (FOREST) Council to host a Missouri-National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP) tournament at Mark Twain Lake’s Frank Russell Recreation Area near Monroe City on Oct. 20.

Students from across the state competed in the inaugural event, despite very windy conditions, exhibiting patience and putting up several scores that will likely qualify them for the state tournament in March.

“If these students can shoot this well in these conditions, they will be contenders at the state tournament,” said MDC Outdoor Skills Specialist Rob Garver. “Thank you to the schools that participated, and we hope to see you next year.”

Top Tournament Scorers

Overall Male – William Pereboom, Hillsboro High School, Hillsboro Female – Hailey Johnson, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City

High School Division Male – 1^st Place – William Pereboom, Hillsboro High School, Hillsboro Male – 2^nd Place – Braxton Vandeven, Seckman High School, Imperial

Middle School Division Male – 1^st Place – Carter Hunget, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City Male – 2^nd Place – Trenton Brown, Perry Christian Academy, Perry Male – 3^rd Place – Sam Seller, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City

Female – 1^st Place – Hailey Johnson, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City Female – 2^nd Place – Elaina Johnson, Eddyville Junior High School, Eddyville (IA) Female – 3^rd Place – Katlyn Schmidt, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City

Elementary Division Male – 1^st Place – Luke Angerer, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City Male – 2^nd Place – Hayden Masters, Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City Male – 3^rd Place – Tyren Maxwell-Riley, Perry Christian Academy, Perry

Female – 1^st Place – Madelyn Winner, Perry Christian Academy, Perry

For complete tournament scores, visit nasptournaments.org.

Schools participating in MoNASP can look forward to this early-season tournament opportunity again next fall at the new, state-of-the-art archery range at Mark Twain Lake.

This new facility in Mark Twain Lake’s Frank Russell Recreation Area features outdoor target distances ranging from 10 to 80 yards, a three-station youth archery range, and a 15-station 3-D archery trail through adjacent woods. The development of the cutting-edge facility was made possible by an MDC Community Archery Grant, a USACE Handshake Partnership Grant, financial and resource support from the Mark Twain Lake FOREST Council, and volunteer services from neighbors and community members.

MoNASP teaches the basics of archery as part of school curriculum and helps build stronger, more confident and accomplished kids. MoNASP supports international-style target archery in grades 4-12. MDC and the Conservation Federation of Missouri offer basic archery instructor training and a $1500 rebate opportunity to help schools purchase equipment and initiate archery activities in school curriculum.

For more information about MoNASP and future tournaments at Mark Twain Lake, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZSE, or contact MDC Outdoor Skills Specialist Rob Garver at Rob.Garver@mdc.mo.gov or (660) 785-2420.