The 2019 Lancaster Archery Classic Jan. 25-27 was one for the history books. Not only did the number of registered archers – 1,794 – shatter last year’s record attendance of 1,488, but Open Pro archer Braden Gellenthien accomplished something that had only ever been done once before in the 16-year history of the East Coast’s largest archery tournament.
Gellenthien with his perfect scores.
In qualifications Friday at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa., Gellenthien, who is one of the world’s most accomplished tournament archers, shot a perfect score of 660. All 60 of his arrows found the center 11 ring. The only time that has ever happened before was in 2009, when Reo Wilde posted a 660 qualification score.
But as we all quickly learned Saturday morning, shooting a great qualification score does not mean anything in terms of getting to the Classic finals shoot-up stage if you can’t get through the head-to-head elimination matches. Gellenthien survived his first match in the Open Pro bracket against Andy Callaway in a tie-breaker, but he was knocked out of the competition in the second round by Brian Meese.
Ultimately, the tournament’s top prize of $20,000 was awarded to Open Pro champ Jacob Marlow. Always a crowd favorite with his southern drawl and fun sense of humor on the line, Marlow finally won the Classic title in his third trip to the finals shoot-up.
“I tried not to think about anything else,” Marlow said. “I just focused on one arrow at a time.”
Jacob Marlow on the line.
As his gold-medal match progressed against No. 1 qualifier and 2017 Classic Open Pro champ Mike Schloesser, Marlow’s shots seemed to get tighter and tighter to the center. Asked if he was feeling better as the match wore on, Marlow responded with his typical, self-deprecating humor.
“Oh no, I felt terrible the whole time,” he said. “I hate the nerves.”
Men’s Pro Division Winners – Jacob Marlow (1st), Mike Schloesser (2nd) and Dave Cousins (3rd).
In addition to the $20,000 he received from Lancaster Archery, Marlow added a $10,000 contingency check from his bow sponsor, Elite, and another $1,600 in contingencies from his other equipment sponsors.
“I’m 1-1 against Mikey in these matches, so hopefully we’ll get a rematch,” Marlow said of competing against Schloesser in the Classic finals.
Other notable champions crowned at this year’s Classic were Jack Williams in Men’s Recurve, Gabriela Bayardo in Women’s Recurve, Michael Fisher in Barebow and Tanja Jensen in Women’s Open Pro.
Barebow Recurve Division shooter, Spanky Brooks, takes aim.
Top-three finishes at the 2019 Lancaster Archery Classic
Men’s Open Pro – Jacob Marlow, Mike Schloesser and Dave Cousins
Women’s Open Pro – Tanja Jensen, Sarah Prieels, Dusti Batsch
Masters Open Pro – Benton Christensen, Keith Trail, Kendall Woody
Men’s Recurve – Jack Williams, Brady Ellison, Crispin Duenas
Women’s Recurve – Gabriela Bayardo, Casey Kaufhold, Virginie Chenier
Barebow – Michael Fisher, Grayson Partlowe, Spanky Brooks
Men’s Open – Tim Hanley, Doug Williams, Brad Baker Jr.
Women’s Open – Savannah Baye Vanderwier, Jamilee Moore, Sachi Keane
Senior Open – Glenn Talley, Benny Parenteau, Dee Wilde
Masters Open – Bob Reedinger, Danny Minnick, Wayne Johnson
Bowhunter – Charles Hunnell, Luke Long, John Wheeler
Youth Male Open – Trevor Silverson, Zachary Harris, Tyler Heritage
Youth Female Open – Faith Miller, Ava Dremann, Reagan Bryan
Youth Male Recurve – Dallas Jones, Joonsuh Oh, Zachary Kim
Youth Female Recurve – Whitney Jensen, Imogen Grzemski, Brianna Laux
Watch all the action from the finals at the 2019 Lancaster Archery Classic in the video below…
Congrats to the Lancaster Archery team for pulling off another incredible event. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Lancaster Archery Classic!
