The West Virginia State Archery finalists who will be representing West Virginia 4-H at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Competition in Nebraska this June from Wood County are Skylar Hart, Morgan Wicker and Cooley Dixon, all of Wood County. (Photo submitted)

PARKERSBURG – There will be three archers from Wood County representing West Virginia 4-H at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Competition in Nebraska this June.

The West Virginia 4-H State Archery Qualifier was held at Jackson’s Mill on Saturday, April 4, bringing together Junior, Intermediate, and Senior archers from across the state.

Competitors demonstrated their skills in FITA, Field, and 3-D archery events.

The top four Senior Division archers earned the opportunity to represent West Virginia 4-H at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Competition in Nebraska this June, a tremendous honor and achievement for the 4-H members involved, said Jodi L. Smith, Extension Associate Professor for the West Virginia University Extension Office in Wood County.

The Senior Division Winners are:

Wood County 4-H Senior Archery competitors participate in the field round at the State Archery Tournament. Pictured from left are Morgan Wicker, Skylar Hart, Braden Whitlatch, and Cooley Dixon. (Photo submitted)

1st Place: Morgan Wicker – Wood County

2nd Place: Cooley Dixon – Wood County

3rd Place: Skylar Hart – Wood County

The fourth person going to the Nationals is Brayden Martin of Doddridge County.

Wicker is proud to represent West Virginia at the national level.

“After years of hard work and dedication to archery, and even winning the state archery competition this year, I will be traveling to Nebraska this summer to compete against youth from across the country,” she said. “4-H Shooting Sports has taught me leadership, discipline, responsibility, and sportsmanship, and I am so grateful for the support from my family, coaches, and community.

“I am proud to represent Wood County and West Virginia on the national stage.”

Dixon said competing at the national level is an incredible opportunity, and he proud to be able to represent West Virginia.

“Archery has pushed me to work hard, stay focused, and continuously improve,” he said. “One thing I always say during practice is, ‘Bang, she’s dialed,’ and that mindset of confidence and consistency has helped me prepare for the challenge in Nebraska.”

Hart said archery has become a big part of her life and has helped push her to work to achieve more.

“Archery has become a big thing in my life and has provided so many opportunities to go out of my comfort zone and meet people and go to new places,” she said.

Wood County is especially proud to celebrate this accomplishment: three of the four top senior archers in the state are from Wood County, Smith said.

“This marks the first time Wood County has had three archers qualify for nationals in the same year, making this a first-of-its-kind achievement for Wood County 4-H,” she said.

The archers will be raising funds to support their journey to the national competition.

Their coach, Alissa Dixon, is organizing the trip and will serve as the lead archery coach at the competition.