EM archer Mitchell Ruppelt takes fourth at Midwest Shootout

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — Seven Elk Mound archers traveled to the National Archery in the Schools Program Midwest Shootout last month.

The tournament, held April 22 in Dodgeville, featured archers representing 32 schools from all over the Midwest. The Mounders took six middle school shooters and one high school archer to the competition.

Eighth-grade student Mitchell Ruppelt is credited with Elk Mound’s highest finish of the day. He scored 286 points, and earned 20 different 10-point shots, to cop fourth out of 41 eighth-grade boys, fourth out of 103 middle school boys, and 11th overall out of 202 boys.

Maddie Dutzle, who is in seventh grade, finished with 274 points to end up fifth out of the seventh-grade girls, 14th for the middle school girls, and 53rd out of 232 girls. Lane Lee shot a 262 to take 21st for eighth-grade boys, 56th for middle school boys, and 104th overall.

Vincent Biegel scored 256 to take 21st out of 32 seventh-grade boys and 66th as a middle school boy. He was ranked 125th out of 202.

Zane Clemmens and Kayla Brantner rounded out the middle school archers. Clemmens was 34th out of eighth-grade boys, 80th for middle school boys, and 148th in the boys’ overall. Brantner scored 224 to take 34th as a seventh-grade girl, 91st as a middle school girl, and 197th in the girls’ overall.

Mackenzie Dutzle was the lone high school student at the tournament for Elk Mound. She scored 255, and took 18th out of 21 10th-grade girls. Dutzle also finished 64th out of 83 high school girls, and was 123rd overall for girls’ scoring.

Ruppelt will be heading to the National NASP Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, May 11-13.