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One year after narrowly missing the cut for the state tournament, the Hackler Elementary archery team made the most of their return trip to Hot Springs, finishing sixth out of 30 teams at the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program State Bullseye Tournament last weekend.
The team of fourth and fifth grade students posted a score of 2,868, nearly 200 points better than their previous best. Scores are calculated using the top four girls’ scores, top four boys’ scores, and the next four best individual scores, for a total of 12 scoring participants.
Twenty-two Hackler students competed in the event. Thirteen shot personal best scores on the tournament stage.
The finish marks a significant turnaround for a program that finished 31st in 2024, one spot outside the state qualifying cutoff. This year the team not only qualified but cracked the top 10 in the state.
The top 12 scorers were Addy Young, Aaliyah Barnes, Charlie Menschik, Lilly Williams, Kristi-Anne Dye, Eli Foster, Grady McAninch, Isabel O’Grady, Mallorey Story, Alice Smith, Wyatt Davis, and Greyson Rose.
The team is coached by Cheyenne Hollenbach, Mike Andrews, and Dustin Rose.
Hackler’s archery team competes through ANASP, a program funded in part by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission through Act 799 of the 2003 Arkansas General Assembly, which directs fine money collected from wildlife regulation violators to all 75 counties. The program is designed to teach archery as an outdoor skill students can carry for life. Competitors shoot without sights, relying entirely on instinct, and are responsible for calculating their own scores during practice, incorporating math skills into every session.
Mountain Home Public Schools fields archery teams at Hackler Elementary, Pinkston Middle School, Mountain Home Junior High, and Mountain Home High School. Hackler has the largest division in the district.
