PHOENIX — The Columbia archery team competed against some of the top archers in the world at the Arizona Cup this past weekend. The event took place at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.

On the recurve side, senior Judith Gottlieb, junior Lillian Han and sophomore Eunice Choi competed in the Senior Women's Division, going up against some of the best archers and professionals in the world. Out of 52 archers in their division, Choi qualified 12th, Gottlieb qualified 18th and Han qualified 21st. All three made it to the 1/16th Round in eliminations and just Choi advanced into the 1/8th Round. She took fifth-seeded Akshara Vijay to a fifth end but Vijay edged past Choi, 26-24, to win the end and the match.

"Overall, it was super impressive and I'm proud of our performances," Columbia head coach Derek Davis said. "It was very windy and that made for tough conditions to shoot in. The scores across the field were affected but I'm happy with how everyone managed the conditions."

Sophomore Michelle Ahn and first-year Alena Lipscomb shot in the Recurve U21 Division. Out of 26 archers, Ahn qualified ninth and Lipscomb qualified 21st. Ahn swept her opponent, 6-0, to advance to the 1/8th Round, where she was tied 3-3 after three ends but dropped the fourth and fifth ends, and the match, 7-3.

In the compound, juniors Sydney Sullenberger and Giselle DeSousa went up against the top Senior Women's Division. Sullenberger qualified 11th out of 42 archers while DeSousas was close behind in 15th. Sullenberger won her 1/16th Round matchup over the No. 22 seed, 142-122. That pitted her against No. 6 seed Liko Arreola in the 1/8th Round. Arreola won each of the first three ends, 30-29, but Sullenberger got a point back in the fourth with a 30-29 win of her own. However, Arreola pulled out the match in the fifth to win it, 149-145.

First-year Briana Moore competed in the Compound U21 Division and made a run into the medal matches. After qualifying 11th out of 21 archers, she upset sixth-seeded Elyse Matus in the 1/8th Round, 128-112. That put her up against 14th-seeded Callidora Muonio in the quarterfinals, where Moore took both the fifth end and the match by a single point, 132-131. Moore fell to No. 2 seed Ximena Estrada in the semis and had to face No. 1 seed Lilie Aguilar in the bronze-medal match. She battled tough for five ends but was ultimately defeated by her opponent from Cumberlands, 136-132.
 
The Lions compete at USA Archery Collegiate Target Regionals, April 26-27, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
 
Recurve Senior Women (52 archers)
- Eunice Choi
    - Qualified 12th (585)
    - 1/32nd Round: Bye
    - 1/16th Round: (12) Choi def. (21) Han: 6-2
    - 1/8th Round: (5) Vijay def. (12) Choi: 6-4
 
- Judith Gottlieb
    - Qualified 18th (574)
    - 1/32nd Round: (18) Gottlieb def. (47) Griep: 6-0
    - 1/16th Round: (15) Howell def. (18) Gottlieb: 6-4
 
- Lillian Han
    - Qualified 21st (568)
    - 1/32nd Round: (21) Han def. (44) Pulley: 6-2
    - 1/16th Round: (12) Choi def. (21) Han: 6-2
 
Compound Senior Women (42 archers)
- Sydney Sullenberger
    - Qualified 11th (644)
    - 1/16th Round: (11) Sullenberger def. (22) Gaugler: 142-122
    - 1/8th Round: (6) Arreola def. (11) Sullenberger: 149-145

- Giselle DeSousa
    - Qualified 15th (620)
    - 1/16th Round: (18) Brassard def. (15) DeSousa: 140-136

Recurve U21 Women (26 archers)
- Michelle Ahn
    - Qualified 9th (564)
    - 1/32nd Round: Bye
    - 1/16th Round: (9) Ahn def. (41) Kim: 6-0
    - 1/8th Round: (8) E. Ahn def. (9) M. Ahn: 7-3
   
- Alena Lipscomb
    - Qualified 21st (510)
    - 1/32nd Round: Bye
    - 1/16th Round: (12) Chang def. (21) Lipscomb: 7-3

Compound U21 Women (21 archers)
- Briana Moore
    - Qualified 11th (649)
    - 1/16th Round: Bye
    - 1/8th Round: (11) Moore def. (6) Matus: 128-112
    - Quarterfinals: (11) Moore def. (14) Muonio: 132-131
    - Semifinals: (2) Estrada def. (11) Moore: 136-125
    - Bronze Medal: (1) Aguilar def. (11) Moore: 136-132


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