Archery Added as New Athletic Program for Fall of 2024
Marshall, Mo., (April 22, 2024)- Missouri Valley College Athletic Director Mike Machholz announces the addition of archery to the shooting sports program for the 2024-25 athletic year, and the hiring of John McEachern as Archery Head Coach.
Archery competitions cover five disciplines, including recurve, compound, barebow, traditional and longbow. Missouri Valley will compete in USA Archery, ASA Archery and JOAD Archery. While the 2024-25 athletic year will serve as the first season of team competition, the athletic department has experienced past success in the sport as Evan Baker was a two-time All-American and four-time Academic All-American in the sport, competing from 2018-2022.
"I am pleased to announce the addition of competitive archery under the umbrella of the Missouri Valley College shooting sports program," said Machholz. "This is a natural blending of two of America's oldest pastimes. Shotgun sports and archery are a way of life for many Midwestern families, and is taught within 4-H, FFA and NASP at all age levels Nationally. Archery is one of the Olympic sports that does not receive significant limelight, but is vital to so many. We sponsored local standout, Evan Baker, who earned multiple All-American honors previously in archery on the collegiate level while competing for us on the shooting sports team, but this will be the first time with a full commitment to actively recruit archers and compete for team accolades. Coach McEachern, who has been serving as an assistant on the shooting sports team since its inception will be our first full-time archery coach. I am excited for Coach Mac. I know he has a passion for all shooting sports at Missouri Valley College. This combined with a great base of our institutional procedures makes this an easy startup option for Missouri Valley College. We will be working closely with the Marshall Bow Hunting range as well as the Dysert Shooting Complex to provide our team with an excellent shooting experience and a home venue for events. Valley is rolling."
Leading the archery team will be McEachern, who has been involved as an assistant coach with the shooting sports program since 2017. McEachern has spent nearly 50 years involved in archery, including competitive 3-D archery shooting after becoming IBO certified in 2001. He has competed competitively in club and ASA shooting.
"This is an opportunity I have been looking forward to since Evan Baker was here, and have the desire to build this program to one of the most competitive in the nation," said McEachern. We are working with our local ranges in Marshall to expand the opportunities for the many young people who love the sport and want to continue in college. This will give them the opportunity to continue their studies and earn a scholarship. I have looked at archery shooting as a way to prepare for hunting, however, the practice has always provided a better focus for me in all my endeavours, which is the true benefit of archery."
McEachern is currently recruiting and building his team to begin competition in the 2024-25 athletic year.
About Missouri Valley College
Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.