Hundreds of student athletes from across the Sunshine State converged on the Alachua County Sports and Events Center in Gainesville on March 14 for the 2026 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Archery Tournament.
Hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the event showcased the top talent from the 522 Florida schools currently enrolled in the program, which integrates international-style target archery into physical education for grades 4-12.
The competition saw a dominant performance from Tampa Bay H.E.A.T., a homeschool association based in Brandon. The program swept the first-place team trophies in both the Elementary and High School divisions, while also securing a second-place finish in the Middle School division.
Meigs Middle School of Shalimar took the top spot for middle schools with a team score of 3,192. Individual accolades were equally competitive, with Eli Damron and Abigail Cooper, both of Tampa Bay H.E.A.T., earning Bear Cruzer Ready to Hunt Bows as the top male and female archers in the 3D competition.
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Joran Tokash of Tampa Bay H.E.A.T. and Kiara Diaz of Baughman Homeschool each took home $7,000 for their first-place finishes in the male and female individual categories.
Tokash hit 20 perfect 10s for a score of 286, while Diaz also notched 20 perfect 10s to finish with 285. Second-place honors and $5,000 went to Andy Cardona Cruz of Summerlin Academy and Abigail Cooper, while Eric Lee of Choctawhatchee High School and Jocelyn Hannah of Geneva Classical Academy each earned $3,000 for their third-place rankings.
In the Elementary Division, Austin Reiss of SnowShine Homeschool led the boys with 268 points, and Grace Lambeth of Precision Prep topped the girls with 273. The high school brackets remained a tight race, with Andy Cardona Cruz leading the males at 286 points and Abigail Cooper leading the females at 285.
The growth of the program reflects a rising interest in the sport statewide. Bill Cline, FWC’s Hunter Safety and Public Shooting Ranges Section Leader, noted that the impact of the tournament extends beyond the leaderboard.
“Programs such as NASP bring together schools, families and communities in a meaningful way,” Cline said. “It’s about more than scores — it’s about teamwork, personal growth and creating opportunities for students statewide, both on and off the range. I am proud to offer these opportunities to students in Florida.”
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