The 2024-2025 North Dakota 4-H Archery season wrapped up in spectacular fashion as 239 youth archers from 24 counties converged at the Nishu Bowman Archery Complex in Bismarck, North Dakota, for the 4-H Indoor Archery Championships. This event marked the culmination of a season that began in December 2024, with youth participating in county-level competitions in hopes of qualifying for the state match.

For the first time, North Dakota 4-H implemented a qualifying score requirement, encouraging participants to strive for mastery — a core tenet of the 4-H program. This new standard elevated the level of competition and highlighted the skill development of the participating youth.

North Dakota 4-H archery is divided into two equipment classes: barebow, where archers shoot without sights or release aids; and freestyle, where archers may use such aids to increase accuracy. Participants also compete in age divisions: beginner (8-10), junior (11-13), senior (14-18) and master, which comprises youth representing North Dakota at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships.

The beginner barebow champion, with a score of 261 points and winning the title, was Paisley Hennings from Dickey County. Others in the top five were Gabriel Samper (Bottineau County), Kade Kjemhus (Grand Forks County), Keegan Wimer (McLean County) and Lisa Marschner (McHenry County). Top team honors went to Dickey County with a team score of 748; members included Hennings, Cooper Rall, Owen Miller and Ceoyne Holt.

Beginner freestyle showcased a battle of teammates for the top slots. Taking home the title was Brielle Mosset from Morton County with 148 out of 150 possible points, followed by her teammate Ryann Veith. Both youth tied for their overall score, but the tie was able to be broken by X count. The next few slots to round out the top five included Owen Peterson (Ward County), Kelbie Yoder (Ward County) and Lane Loomer (Williams County). Top team honors went to Morton County with a team score of 419; members included Mosset, Veith, Ryker Keller and Colton Fetting.

The barebow competition was strong in the junior barebow division, with the top shooter posting a score of 282 points out of 300 — William Wisness from McKenzie County. Followed closely was his teammate, Hailey Transtrom, with 279 for second place. Rounding out the top five included archers Evoleht Holt (Dickey County) Ian Njos (Bowman County) and Brooklyn Smith (McLean County). Top team honors went to McKenzie County with a team score of 816; members included Wisness, Hailey Transtrom, Kryon LaPaz and Luke Transtrom.

Junior freestyle put on a show at the state championships with multiple ties in the top five and only a two-point difference between the archers. Posting at the top spot in a tie were Haidyn Mosset and Hank Dinius with 150 points — both perfect scores. Separated only by X count, Mosset (Morton County) was awarded the championship with a 150-23X, and Dinius (Hettinger County), who took second place, posted a score of 150-19X. Tied for third and fourth with a score of 149 were Levi Keith (Hettinger County) and Harper Ferguson (Williams County), separated only by 4 X’s. Rounding out fifth place is Quade Everson (Ward County) with a 148. Top team honors, in a tight three-point lead, went to Hettinger County with a team score of 444; members included Keith, Hank Dinius, Hannah Dinius and Benjamin Schmidt. This division was competitive throughout the season, with seven shooters posting a perfect score (some even multiple times) at county-level matches.

Showcasing their skills in the senior barebow competition, Bella Wimer of McLean County posted the highest barebow score of 283. Rounding out the rest of the top five are Raegan Albert (Ward County), Kaylee Magandy (McLean County), Connor Urlacher (Dickey County) and James Dahl (Emmons County). Top team honors went to the team from McLean County; members included Wimer, Magandy, Jaden Diffely and Cole Franklin.

Senior freestyle showcased the grit of some 4-H archers. Coming from the middle of the average scores going into the tournament was DJ Beadle (McKenzie County), with the wildcard of the tournament. Typically scoring an average of 260 at the county level matches, Beadle came with an outstanding performance at the state match, putting up a score of 299 to win the division. Close at Beadle’s heels was Landon Mosset (Morton County) with a 298 for a second-place finish. Rounding out the rest of the top five were Zoe Peterson (Morton County), Makenzie Vogel (Morton County) and Teagan Strilcov (Ward County). Top team honors went to the team from Morton County with a team score of 891; members included Mosset, Peterson, Vogel, and Abel Vollmers. Other notable feats in this division included two perfect scores of 300 at county-level matches during the season by Mosset and Vogel.

In a division all on their own were the master participants. This division is dedicated to the youth who have or will be representing North Dakota at the National Shooting Sports Championship in Grand Island, Nebraska, in June. This was demonstrated at the 4-H State Indoor Archery Championship this year with Abagail Ferguson (Williams County) shooting a perfect 300 to win the master division. Ferguson was a member of the 2024 North Dakota National team. Following closely behind was Parker Zimmerman (McIntosh County), with a 299. Other members in the master division were James McGrath (Morton County), Kacia Berg (Morton County), Ellie Baragmann (Morton County), Natasha Roeder (Morton County) and Easton Mastel (Morton County).

Representing North Dakota at the 2025 National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships, June 23-27 in Grand Island, Nebraska, will be the team comprising Zimmerman, Berg, Roeder and Mastel.

North Dakota 4-H is a program of North Dakota State University Extension.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – May 8, 2025

NDSU Agriculture Communication – May 8, 2025

Source: Sara Clemens, 701-877-2589, sara.clemens@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu