Poised and ready for more good things to come.
That is the outlook that Chad Karstetter, coach of the Pennsylvania College of Technology archery team, has for his archers going into this weekend's U.S. Intercollegiate Outdoor Championship at Georgia State University in Milledgeville, Ga.
The season that began in January already has been a success. Looking back, Karstetter pointed to first-place finishes by the Penn College women's compound team in all five competitions it entered and the state indoor title won by the men's compound team.
Individually, Karen Morse (Canton) won the state indoor women's compound and set a new scoring record of 562 points in the process; Sarah Wilson (Tyrone) won the state female recurve; Ryan Benny (Burnham) won the state men's compound; Michelle Wright (Kendall, N.Y.) won the Virginia state indoor women's compound and the women's individual compound title in the Eastern Indoor Regional Championships; Jason Kornbau (Red Lion) won the men's recurve at the James Madison Invitational; and Beth Robinson (Williamsport) won the women's individual compound at the East Regional Collegiate Outdoor Championships.
Also competing for the Wildcats at nationals will be John Mattivi (Southern Columbia), Jonas Glick (Lewistown), Steve Liehr (Oakford) and Ryan Romberger (Pillow) in men's compound and Dustin Yocum (Morgantown) and Chris Adams (Pen Argyl) in men's recurve.
"I'm very pleased with the way the season has gone so far, especially with the women's compound. The men's compound team did very well, also," Karstetter said.
Entering the season-ending national event Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Wildcat archers have not shot competitively for nearly a month, but Karstetter isn't too concerned.
"The last three weeks we have been shooting, but not as much as I would have liked going into nationals. Most of the team members are seniors and had their senior projects due, finals, graduation and have been looking for jobs.
"Even though we haven't been shooting as much as I would have liked, they are still doing very well and they'll do well at nationals," the coach forecast. "I think everything will work out fine."
Wright, Romberger and Benny are returning All-Americans. Karstetter thinks all three could repeat this year, and says that Robinson and Morse are on the border.