Holton girl places 3rd in state for archery skills
Grace Stratton is pictured with the target she was shooting at the state competition. Notice the hole in the middle!
Grace Stratton, 13 of Holton, has placed third at the Indiana State Archery Competition. She is the daughter of Andy and Cathie Stratton and attends school at St. Mary’s in North Vernon.
She placed third for middle school girls in Bullseye with a score of 285/300. There were 417 girls who competed at that level. She also competed in the 3D competition and placed 11th with a score of 274/300. The top 10 archers qualify to compete at the Eastern National Competition in Louisville, KY, in May.
She has a list of accomplishments such as placing 1st South Ripley Raiders Spring Fling (in both Bullseye and 3D) 2026, 1st placeSouth Ripley State Qualifier (Bullseye) 2026, 2nd place Jac-Cen-Del Bullseye 2026, 3rd place Southwestern Rebels State Qualifier (3D) 2026, SMS/JCHS Open 3rd place Bullseye 2025, Scottsburg Warrior flights of champions 2nd place 2025, Hayden shoot 3rd place 2024, Jennings County Spring Fling 1st place 2024, Jac-Cen-Del 3D shoot 2nd place 2024.
Grace has been practicing since third grade and started competing at St. Mary’s in the fourth grade (as soon as was possible at the school).
When asked how often she practices, Grace says, “During archery season, I practice 2-3 times a week. I practice with my team at St. Mary’s. My older sister, Libbie, shoots on South Ripley’s archery team. I also practice with South Ripley’s archery team if it fits in my schedule. Over the summer, I try my best to get some practice in at home.”
She says what she likes best about archery is meeting new people. “I like meeting new people every time I shoot. I always try to talk to them which makes me less nervous and hopefully they also feel less nervous too.”
Grace says she is nervous when she competes but is also excited because this was her first time qualifying for state. “I would have been content, even if I came in last place,” she told The Versailles Republican.
Grace’s mom, Cathie noted that they really want to thank her coach, Dave Schildknecht. “He puts in a lot of time and effort with the kids on the archery team at St. Mary’s, and we really appreciate all he does. Her highest score for Bullseye is the 285 she shot at State. The highest score that she has shot in 3D is a 283.”
“We are very proud of Grace for achieving this achievement – especially the first time she qualified for the state tournament.” She noted that on one round of the state competition, Grace shot a 50, which is a perfect score.
“At the state competition, when Grace and her target partner (Jaysa Griffith from Sullivan Middle School) both shot so well at state – Grace and I were both intimidated. Not ever competing at the state level before, we assumed this was the level you needed to shoot at this competition. Jaysa Griffith place first with a score of 288,” Cathie concluded.
She has many years ahead of her and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Grace at the very top in the near future for her archery skills.
