Archery is one of the fastest growing sports, and that’s no exception at the collegiate level.
USA Archery currently governs collegiate archery, with sponsorship from the NCAA and NAIA likely not far away.
And Union College, located in Barbourville, Kentucky, started a varsity archery team in 2015, and coach Cody Kirby inked his most recent recruit on Friday afternoon in North Montgomery senior Ashley Coffing.
“In our competitions at state, if you podium, you get certificates,” Coffing said about the early recruitment process. “Cody Kirby actually reached out to me first, and I’ve had a couple other college coaches reach out to me. I didn’t do a lot of reaching out.”
Coffing, who competes for the Hilltop Archery Club team in Wingate, started shooting when she was 11-years-old and started taking the sport seriously a few years ago.
“I’ve been shooting for about seven years,” Coffing said. “I thought that I wanted to shoot in college probably my freshman year when I realized that was a possibility. It takes a lot of practice. Throughout high school I’ve practiced seven days a week, it takes a lot of motivation and determination to go out and shoot every single day, but if you love it, then it’s not that much work.”
Union College offers a small and intimate setting, one where Coffing hopes to blossom both as a student and athlete.
“I’m going to be studying nursing, and I chose Union because I was really impressed with Cody Kirby and his recruitment proces. We went for a college visit and it’s absolutely beautiful and it’s where I want to be,” she said. “I’m hoping to continue to grow as an archer, because one day I do want to shoot professionally if that is a possibility, and I want to get the best education possible at this school. And it’s a smaller school so I’ll get a little bit better education being closer to my teachers and classmates.”
