Archery Club aims high at fifth national tournament

Among pony rides and falconry demonstrations, the backcountry fair’s archery booth captured 12-year-old Trinity Weiss’s imagination. She decided to try her hand at shooting a bow.

The coach there watched her loose a few arrows and made a prediction.

“He said, ‘This is your Olympic sport,’” Weiss recalled. “And that guy ended up being my coach until I graduated from high school.”

More than eight years later, archery has become a defining part of Weiss’ college experience. The Environmental Science major, Colorado Water Fellow and president of MSU Denver’s Club Archery team has spent the past four years helping transform a fledgling student organization into a growing competitive program that regularly sends athletes to national tournaments.

When Weiss was deciding where to attend college, an established archery club helped tip the scales in favor of MSU Denver, though at the time, the club had only a handful of members. Before Weiss even arrived on campus, the outgoing president asked if she’d be willing to take over leadership.

“As a freshman, I was very naive, but I was excited to take on the opportunity,” Weiss said. “Over the last four years, we have welcomed so many new members, so many new archers and won awards in USA Archery.”

Today, the club includes about 10 competitive archers and several recreational members. The team’s expansion comes as members continue to make their mark on the national stage. They’ve attended five Archery Collegiate National Tournaments, won two Colorado State Archery Championships and broken at least two state scoring records.

This spring, MSU Denver sent its largest group yet to USA Archery Collegiate Nationals in Michigan, with six student-athletes competing.  Sidny Olivia, an Anthropology major, had a breakout performance, beating the No. 2 seed in eliminations and earning an All-American Academic Award for maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA and placing in the top 25% of her division.

For Weiss, however, the club’s success has never been measured solely by medals.

“The goal, at least from my perspective, is I just really want students to have an opportunity to be exposed to archery,” she said. “I’m not trying to make a super elite team that wins every single tournament.”

That philosophy has helped create an environment where newcomers feel welcome, regardless of experience level.

Vice President Sierra Nation is one example. When she transferred to MSU Denver, Nation was searching for a new athletic outlet after years of playing softball. She discovered Club Archery at a Welcome Week event.

“I needed a new sport to play that wasn’t too harsh on my already injured body,” Nation said. “When I saw the table at the Welcome Week, I decided this is my new sport.”

Nation, a Sport Management major and archery instructor at APEX Center in Arvada, went on to become one of the program’s early success stories. During the club’s first trip to collegiate nationals, she advanced to the gold medal match in barebow competition after only months in the sport, helping introduce MSU Denver to collegiate archery audiences across the country.

Weiss credits much of the club’s development to coach Tom Hinojosa, one of only 13 Level 5 National Training System coaches recognized by USA Archery and recipient of this year’s West Region Collegiate Coach of the Year. Hinojosa joined the team in 2022 after Weiss approached him about helping build the program.

“Trinity told me she planned to enroll at MSU Denver and revive the archery club to create a program for her to continue her training in archery,” Hinojosa said. “She needed a coach for the club team. So, I said, ‘Sign me up.’”

Hinojosa believes the club’s growth stems in part from the sport’s accessibility.

“Archery is a very inclusive and equitable sport,” he said. “Literally anyone can do it and participate at a competitive level of their choice or just as a recreational activity.”

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Weiss emphasizes inclusivity whenever she talks about the club, pointing out that archery can accommodate people of different backgrounds, ages and physical abilities. More than anything, she wants students to discover a sport they may never have considered.

As Weiss prepares to graduate in 2027, she hopes the program will continue to grow long after she hands over the reins. Looking back, she sees the club not only as a competitive team but as a community she helped build arrow by arrow.

“It’s been really fun,” Weiss said. “I’m just happy to give people the opportunity to travel and experience the drama of the sport.”