Thursday, May 14
East Lansing, Mich.
All Day
Columbia
vs
USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Photo by: USA Archery
Alena Lipscomb Wins Women’s Collegiate Recurve National Title
5/19/2026 9:46:00 AM | Archery
Three Lions named All-Americans, Davis earns National Coach of the Year recognition
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Alena Lipscomb capped off an incredible sophomore season as the Recurve College Women's National Champion at the 2026 Hotel Planner USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals. The event took place May 14-17 at the Hope Sports Complex, hosted in partnership with Michigan State University and Lansing Sports Commission.
Lipscomb's individual outdoor national title is the first by a Lion since Bianca Gotuaco '19SEAS won the Women's Collegiate Recurve title in 2017. It is the third such national title by a Lion in program history (Margot Stuchin, 2008).
It turned out to be an all-Columbia Gold Medal match between No. 2-seeded Lipscomb and 12th-seeded junior Eunice Choi. In an extremely competitive final, Lipscomb edged Choi, 26-25, in the first end, split the second, 25-25, and earned another one-point victory in the third, 28-27, to take a 5-1 lead in the match. Choi did not go down quietly, earning a 26-25 win in the fourth to tighten the score to 5-3. Choi needed to win the fifth to send the gold-medal final to a shootoff, but Lipscomb prevailed, 27-26, to be crowned the national champ.
"This year started for [Lipscomb] as soon as last year ended. She made a commitment to herself and really put in the work," 23rd-year head coach Derek Davis said. "She went to Korea for a little while to train. She had a family vacation to Australia, took her bow with her and found a place to train while she was in Australia. She came in after summer break rolling and ready."
After qualifying No. 2 out of 72 archers, Lipscomb defeated opponents from Ohio State, Metropolitan State and UC San Diego to meet seventh-seeded teammate, senior Lillian Han, in the quarterfinals. Han took the first end but Lipscomb bested the senior in the next two, split the fourth and squeaked out a 24-23 fifth end to take the match 7-3 and send her to the semis. There, she rallied back from 3-1 down to defeat UC Davis's Grace Lum, 7-3, to set up the all-Columbia final.
Additionally, Lipscomb teamed up with Columbia club archer Jin Kang to win silver in mixed team recurve.
"It became very obvious after our first competition that she was ready. She did so well at indoor nationals and all of the local and regional events. I knew she had a shot at it coming into nationals and I'm very happy that she was able to finish off such a successful season with the championship."
Davis was named the USA Archery Collegiate Coach of the Year, earning his fourth National Coach of the Year award. USA Archery votes on the award between the four Regional Coaches of the Year (East, North, South, West). Davis earned this year's East Region honor.
The Lions also took a pair of bronze medals in Women's Recurve and Women's Compound team events. Lipscomb, Choi and Han were Columbia's recurve team, which Davis selected based off each individual's qualification round score. Seniors Sydney Sullenberger, Giselle DeSousa, and sophomore Briana Moore were Columbia's compound team. Sullenberger advanced to the bronze-medal match of the women's individual compound event.
"We're happy with the team results. Recurve wanted a three-peat -- we've never done it and it was something we were hoping for, but it didn't happen," David said. "We had a really strong team in compound and I was happy with their progress and the result as well. Briana is really going to be a leader on this team next year and she's really coming into her own in that role for us."
Three Lions were named All-Americans: Lipscomb, Han and Sullenberger. Among the 10 recurve All-Americans across the country, Lipscomb had the second-highest combined score (17.994) and Han ranked eighth (17.414). Among the 10 compound All-Americans, Sullenberger had the fourth-highest combined score (19.167). USA Archery determines its All-Americans by combining each archer's qualifying round scores from Indoor Nationals and Collegiate Target Nationals. There are 10 All-Americans named in both the Collegiate Compound Women and Collegiate Recurve Women.
"We fought hard and I thought everyone did their very best," Davis added. "When we look at how deep and tough the field was, we are pleased with our finishes. When we put it all together and see all of the hardware we came home with, considering the size of the team we bring, it's such an impressive season. To finish fifth in the all-around points considering we don't present all bow types and have a small roster is extremely impressive. I'm very content and proud of this team."
Additionally, Lipscomb, Han, Choi, Sullenberger, Moore, DeSousa and Michelle Ahn earend USA Archery Collegiate Archery Program All-American Academic Team honors. To be eligible, an archer must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.5 through the fall 2025 semester. USA Archery takes the top 25 percent (ranked by score) of each division and class from U.S. National Indoor Championships. Archers who are in the top 25 percent and who meet the minimum GPA earn a spot on the team.
Columbia's complete results from the 2026 Hotel Planner USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals are detailed below.
Recurve College Women (72 archers)
Alena Lipscomb
- Qualified 2nd (608)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (66) Jax Kim (Ohio State): 6-2
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (34) Trinity Wess (Metropolitan State): 6-2
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (18) Haley Shimabukuro (UC San Diego): 6-2
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (7) Lillian Han (Columbia): 7-3
- Semifinals: Defeated (6) Grace Lum (UC Davis): 7-3
- Gold: Defeated (12) Eunice Choi (Columbia): 7-3
Lillian Han
- Qualified 7th (595)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (58) Whitley Eastridge (Campbellsville): 6-0
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (39) Natalie Rose Chicombing (Texas): 6-4
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (23) Alina Distelberg (Cumberlands): 6-4
- Quarterfinals: Lost to (2) Alena Lipscomb (Columbia): 7-3
Eunice Choi
- Qualified 12th (586)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (53) Hannah Welts (Midway): 6-0
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (21) Ava McCord (Texas A&M): 6-0
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (28) Micah Bettersworth (Lindsey Wilson): 7-1
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (4) Olivia Hale (Pikesville): 6-2
- Semifinals: Defeated (9) Laurel Anderson (Texas A&M): 6-0
- Gold: Lost to (2) Alena Lipscomb (Columbia): 7-3
Michelle Ahn
- Qualified 20th (556)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (45) Tabitha McGinty (Atlantic Cape): 6-2
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (13) Trinity Howard (Muskingum): 6-0
- 1/8th Round: Lost to (4) Olivia Hale (Pikesville): 6-4
Compound College Women (67 archers)
Sydney Sullenberger
- Qualified 2nd (684)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (66) Victoria Baird (Muskingum): 146-123
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (31) Cheryl Wong (Columbia): 143-137
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (18) Allison Prentice (Southeastern Illinois): 145-138
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (7) Matteja Metcalf (Rio Grande): 140-137
- Semifinals: Lost to (3) Lanie Nish (Cumberlands): 144-140
- Bronze: Lost to (1) Julia Rives (William Carey): 143-138
Giselle DeSousa
- Qualified 10th (675)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (55) Meredith Reynholds (Texas A&M): 137-135
- 1/16th Round: Lost to (23) LeeAna Burley (Wisconsin): 140-139
Briana Moore
- Qualified 26th (652)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (39) Aubrey Toothaker (James Madison): 134-128
- 1/16th Round: Lost to (7) Matteja Metcalf (Rio Grande): 138-133
Cheryl Wong
- Qualified 31st (650)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (34) Sierra Nation (Metropolitan State): 135-130
- 1/16th Round: Lost to (2) Sydney Sullenberger (Columbia): 143-137
Recurve College Women's Team (12 Teams)
Alena Lipscomb, Lillian Han, Eunice Choi
- Qualified 2nd
- 1/8th Round: Bye
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (7) UC Davis: 6-0
- Semifinals: Lost to (3) UC San Diego: 6-2
- Bronze: Defeated (4) Cumberlands: 5-4
Compound College Women's Team (13 Teams)
Sydney Sullenberger, Giselle DeSousa, Briana Moore
- Qualified 4th
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (13) Georgia Southern: 209-160
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (5) William Carey: 205-200
- Semifinals: Lost to (1) Cumberlands: 215-199
- Bronze: Defeated (2) Rio Grande: 204-203
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia athletics, follow @GoColumbiaLions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Lipscomb's individual outdoor national title is the first by a Lion since Bianca Gotuaco '19SEAS won the Women's Collegiate Recurve title in 2017. It is the third such national title by a Lion in program history (Margot Stuchin, 2008).
It turned out to be an all-Columbia Gold Medal match between No. 2-seeded Lipscomb and 12th-seeded junior Eunice Choi. In an extremely competitive final, Lipscomb edged Choi, 26-25, in the first end, split the second, 25-25, and earned another one-point victory in the third, 28-27, to take a 5-1 lead in the match. Choi did not go down quietly, earning a 26-25 win in the fourth to tighten the score to 5-3. Choi needed to win the fifth to send the gold-medal final to a shootoff, but Lipscomb prevailed, 27-26, to be crowned the national champ.
"This year started for [Lipscomb] as soon as last year ended. She made a commitment to herself and really put in the work," 23rd-year head coach Derek Davis said. "She went to Korea for a little while to train. She had a family vacation to Australia, took her bow with her and found a place to train while she was in Australia. She came in after summer break rolling and ready."
After qualifying No. 2 out of 72 archers, Lipscomb defeated opponents from Ohio State, Metropolitan State and UC San Diego to meet seventh-seeded teammate, senior Lillian Han, in the quarterfinals. Han took the first end but Lipscomb bested the senior in the next two, split the fourth and squeaked out a 24-23 fifth end to take the match 7-3 and send her to the semis. There, she rallied back from 3-1 down to defeat UC Davis's Grace Lum, 7-3, to set up the all-Columbia final.
Additionally, Lipscomb teamed up with Columbia club archer Jin Kang to win silver in mixed team recurve.
"It became very obvious after our first competition that she was ready. She did so well at indoor nationals and all of the local and regional events. I knew she had a shot at it coming into nationals and I'm very happy that she was able to finish off such a successful season with the championship."
Davis was named the USA Archery Collegiate Coach of the Year, earning his fourth National Coach of the Year award. USA Archery votes on the award between the four Regional Coaches of the Year (East, North, South, West). Davis earned this year's East Region honor.
The Lions also took a pair of bronze medals in Women's Recurve and Women's Compound team events. Lipscomb, Choi and Han were Columbia's recurve team, which Davis selected based off each individual's qualification round score. Seniors Sydney Sullenberger, Giselle DeSousa, and sophomore Briana Moore were Columbia's compound team. Sullenberger advanced to the bronze-medal match of the women's individual compound event.
"We're happy with the team results. Recurve wanted a three-peat -- we've never done it and it was something we were hoping for, but it didn't happen," David said. "We had a really strong team in compound and I was happy with their progress and the result as well. Briana is really going to be a leader on this team next year and she's really coming into her own in that role for us."
Three Lions were named All-Americans: Lipscomb, Han and Sullenberger. Among the 10 recurve All-Americans across the country, Lipscomb had the second-highest combined score (17.994) and Han ranked eighth (17.414). Among the 10 compound All-Americans, Sullenberger had the fourth-highest combined score (19.167). USA Archery determines its All-Americans by combining each archer's qualifying round scores from Indoor Nationals and Collegiate Target Nationals. There are 10 All-Americans named in both the Collegiate Compound Women and Collegiate Recurve Women.
"We fought hard and I thought everyone did their very best," Davis added. "When we look at how deep and tough the field was, we are pleased with our finishes. When we put it all together and see all of the hardware we came home with, considering the size of the team we bring, it's such an impressive season. To finish fifth in the all-around points considering we don't present all bow types and have a small roster is extremely impressive. I'm very content and proud of this team."
Additionally, Lipscomb, Han, Choi, Sullenberger, Moore, DeSousa and Michelle Ahn earend USA Archery Collegiate Archery Program All-American Academic Team honors. To be eligible, an archer must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.5 through the fall 2025 semester. USA Archery takes the top 25 percent (ranked by score) of each division and class from U.S. National Indoor Championships. Archers who are in the top 25 percent and who meet the minimum GPA earn a spot on the team.
Columbia's complete results from the 2026 Hotel Planner USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals are detailed below.
Recurve College Women (72 archers)
Alena Lipscomb
- Qualified 2nd (608)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (66) Jax Kim (Ohio State): 6-2
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (34) Trinity Wess (Metropolitan State): 6-2
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (18) Haley Shimabukuro (UC San Diego): 6-2
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (7) Lillian Han (Columbia): 7-3
- Semifinals: Defeated (6) Grace Lum (UC Davis): 7-3
- Gold: Defeated (12) Eunice Choi (Columbia): 7-3
Lillian Han
- Qualified 7th (595)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (58) Whitley Eastridge (Campbellsville): 6-0
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (39) Natalie Rose Chicombing (Texas): 6-4
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (23) Alina Distelberg (Cumberlands): 6-4
- Quarterfinals: Lost to (2) Alena Lipscomb (Columbia): 7-3
Eunice Choi
- Qualified 12th (586)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (53) Hannah Welts (Midway): 6-0
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (21) Ava McCord (Texas A&M): 6-0
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (28) Micah Bettersworth (Lindsey Wilson): 7-1
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (4) Olivia Hale (Pikesville): 6-2
- Semifinals: Defeated (9) Laurel Anderson (Texas A&M): 6-0
- Gold: Lost to (2) Alena Lipscomb (Columbia): 7-3
Michelle Ahn
- Qualified 20th (556)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (45) Tabitha McGinty (Atlantic Cape): 6-2
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (13) Trinity Howard (Muskingum): 6-0
- 1/8th Round: Lost to (4) Olivia Hale (Pikesville): 6-4
Compound College Women (67 archers)
Sydney Sullenberger
- Qualified 2nd (684)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (66) Victoria Baird (Muskingum): 146-123
- 1/16th Round: Defeated (31) Cheryl Wong (Columbia): 143-137
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (18) Allison Prentice (Southeastern Illinois): 145-138
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (7) Matteja Metcalf (Rio Grande): 140-137
- Semifinals: Lost to (3) Lanie Nish (Cumberlands): 144-140
- Bronze: Lost to (1) Julia Rives (William Carey): 143-138
Giselle DeSousa
- Qualified 10th (675)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (55) Meredith Reynholds (Texas A&M): 137-135
- 1/16th Round: Lost to (23) LeeAna Burley (Wisconsin): 140-139
Briana Moore
- Qualified 26th (652)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (39) Aubrey Toothaker (James Madison): 134-128
- 1/16th Round: Lost to (7) Matteja Metcalf (Rio Grande): 138-133
Cheryl Wong
- Qualified 31st (650)
- 1/64th Round: Bye
- 1/32nd Round: Defeated (34) Sierra Nation (Metropolitan State): 135-130
- 1/16th Round: Lost to (2) Sydney Sullenberger (Columbia): 143-137
Recurve College Women's Team (12 Teams)
Alena Lipscomb, Lillian Han, Eunice Choi
- Qualified 2nd
- 1/8th Round: Bye
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (7) UC Davis: 6-0
- Semifinals: Lost to (3) UC San Diego: 6-2
- Bronze: Defeated (4) Cumberlands: 5-4
Compound College Women's Team (13 Teams)
Sydney Sullenberger, Giselle DeSousa, Briana Moore
- Qualified 4th
- 1/8th Round: Defeated (13) Georgia Southern: 209-160
- Quarterfinals: Defeated (5) William Carey: 205-200
- Semifinals: Lost to (1) Cumberlands: 215-199
- Bronze: Defeated (2) Rio Grande: 204-203
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia athletics, follow @GoColumbiaLions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
Recurve
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Recurve
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Compound
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Recurve
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Recurve
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Compound
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/ Archery
Compound
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