The Orange and Blue Archery Club could be ranked among the nation’s best archery teams after winning one silver and two gold medals at a three-day national competition.
Six students represented the UF club at the 2012 U.S. Collegiate Archery National Indoor Championship from March 2 to 4 at Georgia Southern University.
Robert Regojo, 22, placed first in Men’s Recurve; Rachel Bouchillon, 20, placed first in College Basic Bow; and Lauren Kates, 22, placed second in Women’s Recurve.
Final team rankings will not be released until later in March, Kates said.
UF competed against 41 archers from Florida Gulf Coast University, Georgia Southern University and Georgia Institute of Technology in the championship’s southern regional division.
Kates, an English senior and the club’s vice president, said she was amazed with how well the club placed in the competition.
“Winning was really an incredible experience,” she said. “It says a lot about UF archery and how seriously we take our sport.”
Archers shot at targets about 20 yards away for 20 rounds. Judges awarded points based on accuracy.
Kates said the club will now focus on training for the upcoming 2012 U.S. Intercollegiate Archery Championship in May.
Regojo, an electrical engineering senior, has been involved in archery since the club’s founding about three years ago.
Although he has competed in past tournaments, the National Indoor Championship offered him an opportunity to go up against new opponents.
“It was the first time I’ve actually shot with other college students,” he said.
Aidiris Rivera, a 19-year-old psychology sophomore, has been involved in archery since last semester and was one of the three club members who competed for the first time.
She did not place, but she said the experience motivated her to improve for future competitions.
“I would love to [compete] again,” she said. “It makes me want to shoot more, practice more and keep going to the meetings every week.”
