Lycoming News

Penn College freshman Nathaniel Haefka emerged victorious at the 2018 USA Archery National Outdoor Collegiate Championship in Men's Bowhunter, held this past weekend in Newberry, Florida. Haefka's performance was a standout among his team, which included four all-Americans and four additional top-eight finishes.

"Nate has been strong all year and we thought he'd shoot well down here," said Penn College coach Chad Karstetter. "We weren't sure how he would handle the rough weather (wind and rain) we had to deal with since he's a freshman, but he stepped up and performed great."

Haefka also joined forces with teammates Justin Rinehimer and David Fox to secure bronze in the men's bowhunter team field event. Individually, Rinehimer achieved sixth place in men's bowhunter.

In other results for Penn College, Tim Lamont claimed fourth place in men's compound while Rylee Butler secured seventh place in women's bowhunter.

"The majority of the team was solid, but those individuals were a little bit better than everyone," Karstetter explained. "We're very proud of those achievements."

Haefka, Lamont, Butler, and Tyler Schoonover were named to the all-American team. This honor combines an archer's performance across both indoor and outdoor national events.

"All-American is what we train for all year. We want to start out well during the indoor season and improve for the outdoor season," stated Karstetter. "It's the ultimate accomplishment in our sport."

Additionally, Haefka along with Lamont, Butler, Schoonover, Tanner Huff, and Erica Gause earned academic all-American status by maintaining a minimum 3.0 grade point average while finishing in the top 25% at the indoor national tournament.