Bryan Kirschner

Bryan Kirschner

Chemical engineering

Revelle College

Senior Nickname: The Competition Kruscher

2016-2017 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Bryan first joined Sun God Archery in the spring of 2016 as a casual hobby and an activity besides academics. However, it wasn’t until fall of that year when he found SGA to be something to actively participate in. For Bryan, two important aspects of SGA are what allowed him to see it as an important part of his college experience. The first was SGA’s community of humorous and competitive archers, who were willing to help him learn while also being a second family to spend time and become great friends with. The second was archery itself, as it challenged his focus and steadiness - a welcome contrast to his rigorous academic load. Archery was almost meditative to him, constantly drawing him back to the field, motivating him to work to get better.

With these initial experiences, Bryan was driven to join the competitive team in the fall of 2016. While on the team, he competed in multiple indoor competitions, as well as NOCC, proving that despite SGA being his first opportunity to wield a bow, he was still a force to be reckoned with.

It was at NOCC where he had experienced his fondest memory of Sun God Archery. After he had finished shooting, he and other teammates showed their support for UCSD archers who were still competing. An endless cacophony of sound ensued from them as they continued to hype up their fellow archers. For Bryan, this memorable experience was something unique, and it was the first time he “felt so invested in something he wasn’t personally doing.”

After he graduates, Bryan plans to move out of San Diego and continue his career search in other parts of California. He hopes to find more opportunities to continue improving his archery skills. For Bryan, Sun God Archery was only the beginning. Congratulations on graduating!

Jason Tong

Jason Tong

Biochemistry + Cell Biology, Minor in Psychology

Marshall College

Senior Nickname: Most Adorable Dictator

USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach
2015-2017 USA Archery Collegiate Archery Program Athlete Representative
2014-2015 SGA Vice-President and Team Captain
2015-2016 SGA President
2016-2017 SGA President and Team Captain
2013-2017 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
SGA 2017 Apollonian Award
2014 West Region Best New Archer
2015 Easton Foundation Las Vegas Warm Up Invitational Bronze
2015 Western Regional Recurve Mixed Team Bronze
2015 All-West Male Recurve
2015 California State Outdoor Collegiate Silver
2016 Western Regional Male Recurve Qualification Bronze
2016 Western Regional Male Recurve Team Bronze
2016 Western Regional Mixed Recurve Champion
2016 Western Regional Male Recurve Champion
2016 California State Outdoor Collegiate Champion
2017 Western Regional Male Recurve Team Silver
2017 Western Regional Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2017 USAT#1 - Arizona Cup Male Recurve Collegiate Bronze
2017 USAT#2 - Gator Cup Male Recurve Collegiate Bronze
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Qualification - 4th Place
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Eliminations - 6th Place
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Qualification Male Recurve Team Silver
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Qualification Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2017 Western Regional Coach of the Year

Jason started archery with his close friends at a lesson at the Stevens Creek Archery Range in Norcal the summer before he entered UCSD in 2013. After enjoying the experience, he found the beginner workshops held by SGA, and after attending that and the first GBM, decided he would join the club! Although he was enrolled in a beginner class that quarter, he actually never attended because he enjoyed shooting with the club so much more! From then to now, he has become the most decorated person in SGA history with over twenty titles, currently holds almost all of the SGA male recurve indoor club records and all of the male recurve outdoor records, and currently sits with Kaitlyn Huang as the Mixed Recurve National Collegiate Champion.

Some of the biggest memories Jason takes away from being a part of SGA and collegiate archery is the team aspect and the overwhelming support that the team provides, especially at competition. He said, “I remember, first at the 2016 Western Regional Individual Eliminations and Mixed Team Finals, and then at the 2017 NOCC Mixed Team Finals, shooting my last arrows and turning around to see my whole team standing behind me supporting me and cheering me on. Hearing them scream the team cheers really makes archery feel like a team sport, and I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.”

The thing that Jason has struggled with most in archery is self-confidence. “I’ve said this probably dozens of times, but archery is an honest sport. Your process, your technique, your mental mindset, all show up on the target, and it can be extremely frustrating. Then, the flip side to that, after training extremely hard, when I did start shooting the scores that I wanted, it was hard for me to believe that I was really shooting those scores, so at competitions, I didn’t have that faith in my shot and myself. After these past few years, archery has really shown me that if I believe in myself, I can achieve anything.”

He finished saying “I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of SGA and collegiate archery, and that I got to meet every single person I did through archery. While there have been many ups and down, and I have a lot of white hair now because of the club haha, it has provided me with an immense amount of experience, has brought me many lifelong friends, and has definitely been a defining piece of my time in college that I wouldn’t want to trade for anything.

Now that he’s graduated, Jason is working for Easton Foundations at the Easton Archery Center of Excellence in Chula Vista while waiting to hear back from his application to the Resident Athlete Program there! If he makes it, the program provides the opportunity for archers to become professional athletes who train full time for the Summer Olympic Games! He also hopes to continue being a part of the club as a coach to train new athletes and support the team at competition!

We wish Jason the best in getting into the program and expect to see him at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games!

Courtney Carrasca

Courtney Carrasca

Human Developmental Sciences

Warren College

Senior Nickname: Friendliest Moneyki-Neko

2014-2017 Treasurer
2013-2017 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2016 Female Recurve All-American Academic
2016 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Champion
2017 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Champion

Courtney’s journey with SGA started in fall quarter of her freshman year. It was SGA’s first year as an official student organization and free archery workshops were being held to introduce more people to the sport. She and her friend both wanted to do something cool, so they participated in the workshops and enrolled in the recreation class. Initially, she wasn’t sure if she enjoyed archery enough to commit to it, but after taking the archery recreation class for a year, she found that she liked it a lot and wanted to shoot competitively with the team.

Her defining memory of archery was qualifying for SGA’s outdoor team in 2016. The year before, she had missed qualifying for the team by a few points and had felt discouraged to the point that she became afraid to shoot outdoor distances. Even so, she didn’t give up and made it onto the team the following year. She states, “Making it onto the outdoor team gave me a boost of confidence that encouraged me to train smarter and more seriously. I was really thankful for those who helped me get to that point.”

After she graduates, Courtney hopes to work full time at UCSD while still making time for art and spending time with cats. She also plans to continue to shoot recreationally and to help support next year’s team by coaching, driving, taking photos, or bringing food.

We wish Courtney the very best and we hope to continue to see her at the field! Congratulations on graduating!

Brandon Chin

Brandon Chin

Computer Science

Revelle College

Senior Nickname: Chinpotle

2016-2017 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2017 Academic All American Barebow Men
2017 All American Barebow Men
2017 NOCC Barebow Men Team 3rd Place
2017 NOCC Barebow Men Individual 4th Place

Brandon began archery in his Senior year at UCSD after watching the 2016 Summer Olympics. Before, Brandon didn’t know that archery had a competitive side. However, after watching the Olympics, he came to the realization that archery was just as competitive as other sports, thus spurring his interest.

His favorite part of being a member of SGA is the community. He says, “Everyone is really cool, inviting and accepting, and great friends.” Brandon also participated in SGA’s first Family Program. Belonging to the “Team Jason” family, Brandon created many close bonds with other club members that he wouldn’t have been able to make without it.

In his first tournament, State Indoor, nervousness prevented Brandon from shooting his best. However, after more practicing and many hours of dedication, Brandon pushed himself to become the best archer he could be. Finally, in the team’s last Collegiate tournament, Brandon excelled in both the individual and team portions of the National Outdoor Collegiate Championships (NOCC), which was held in Chula Vista and co-hosted by SGA and the Easton Archery Center of Excellence.

Out of all the competitions he attended, NOCC was by far his favorite. Not only did he do really well, but he also didn’t forget to enjoy the experience. He says “it was really fun. I saw a lot of familiar faces, and the competition was strong but friendly at the same time.”

After he graduates, Brandon is going to continue working as a software engineer and continue shooting with SGA as a community member :)

As a side note, if one were to randomly ask for his quiver preference… “Field quivers all day er day!" would be his response!

Alvin Tseng

Alvin Tseng

Physiology + Neuroscience, Minor in Chemistry

Revelle College

Senior Nickname: Best Carnivore

2015-2016 Equipment Manager
UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Alvin began archery during his third year here at UCSD, getting interested at one of our many beginner workshops at the start of Fall Quarter in 2014. He found it to be a great stress reliever and decided that it would be a fantastic extracurricular.

After graduating from UCSD, Alvin has hopes of finding a job after he freaks out. Working the job for a few years, he hopes to develop his skills and then apply and successfully enroll in a Pharmacy school.

For Alvin, Sun God Archery was a fun community where he met some very close friends. The weirdest memory he has was during his first competition, after long hours of practice he was a little overconfident and proceeded to shoot his first arrow into someone else’s target.

Alvin’s happy demeanor and eagerness to improve and shoot will be missed! We wish Alvin the best of luck in finding a job and getting into pharmacy school!

Janette Lee

Janette Lee

Sociocultural Anthropology, Minor in Human Rights

Marshall College

Senior Nickname: Best Stylist

UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Unlike many archers on our field, Janette started archery in high school as she sought to participate in a sport that was not as physical as other sports such as soccer and martial arts. She shot briefly in high school through group classes then continued her learning by shooting independently seeking to emulate Legolas Greenleaf with his astounding skill.

After graduating from UCSD, Janette plans to take a gap year to volunteer at several programs while also saving up funds for graduate school. Her final academic goal is to achieve a Masters in Anthropology which she will use to contribute to the community by working at a government position as a civil servant or by working for any type of international organization such as the UN or UNICEF.

Janette states that the most interesting memory she had with Sun God Archery was when she conducted an ethnography field work project on the competitive team. She continues to say that Sun God Archery is filled with a group of very interesting people that she probably could not find anywhere else that together create a community she enjoys being a part of. She recollects many fond memories with the club and states that she will be sad to part from them after she graduates.

Janette has become a part of the lives of the members of Sun God Archery and in her we have found a very close friend. We wish her luck on her volunteer programs and achieving her Masters degree!

Joyce Kim

Joyce Kim

Molecular Biology

Sixth College

Senior Nickname: Best Mom

2015-2016 SGA Co-Team Captain
UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2016 SGA Apollonian Award
2016 State Indoor Collegiate Female Recurve Bronze
2016 Female Recurve All-West
2016 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Champion

Joyce began archery when she transferred to UCSD at the beginning of Fall 2014. She had always wanted to try archery when she was younger due to how enticing manga made it appear, though she realized later how physically and mentally taxing it really is.

After she graduates, Joyce plans on working in a biological research laboratory where she can immerse herself into modern biomedical research and gain the experience and skills necessary before she applies to grad school. After her gap year(s), she plans on applying to graduate school for Microbiology, or Genetics and Genomics and eventually contribute her efforts to research for people with medical disabilities.

Out of the many competitions Joyce has attended, her favorite continues to be the 2015 U.S. National Outdoor Collegiate Championships in Harrisonburg, Virginia hosted by James Madison University. 2015 NOCC was the first time Joyce had been on a plane, the first time she had left the state, the first time she had competed in mixed team and team rounds, her first outdoor competition, and the first time she ever wore 6” heels. Leaving California was a little scary, but the competition was incredible, and traveling with the team and meeting everyone from different colleges across the country was the best. During team rounds, the UCSD Female Recurve team was going against the JMU Female Recurve team for the bronze medal and as JMU is Nick’s Alma Mater, Joyce enjoyed watching the banter between Nick and his old coach.

For Joyce, the 2015 NOCC was one of the defining competitions for her as an archer as it an evaluation for her of the work she put into practice, how much she improved and how much she grew as an archer. Though the banquet at the end was long and arduous, Joyce found the cheer battles at the end cool, and though the 2015 NOCC wasn’t the best, it continues to be an unforgettable experience for her and the team.

Joyce has contributed greatly to the development of SGA and the competitive team during this past year! We all hope to see her as a community member continuing to shoot during her gap years! Congratulations on making it through UCSD and SGA!

Kyle Kole

Kyle Kole

Applied Mathematics + Economics, Minor in Business

Revelle College

Senior Nickname: Most Kolefied

UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2016 3rd Place Male Barebow Individual Eliminations
2016 1st Place Male Barebow Team

Kyle started Archery with Sun God Archery in his final year at UCSD following some thematic goals that he had set up for himself starting his second year. His second year was focused singularly on academics, his third year on his social skills, and his final year on his physicality.

After Kyle graduates from UCSD, he has plans to pursue a PhD in Economics at UC Irvine! They extended to him, a full ride for his interest in econometrics and applied microeconomics. As he’s grown to enjoy archery, he hopes to keep it as a part of his life in UCI, and if time allows, possibly join the UCI team. For long term goals, Kyle plans to travel to Asia, start a Lao restaurant, work as a professor, work in the video game industry, improve on his Lao heritage, and eventually, start a family.

Shooting with UCSD both on the field and at competitions, Kyle grew with his fellow competitors and developed unforgettable memories. One of those memories was while Kyle was preparing for outdoor competition, he began to do a lot of SPT’s, shoot as much as he could, and lift weights. He understood that muscle growth could not be forced, but in hopes of gaining strength for outdoor, he had forgotten that fact and soon he developed a pinched nerve in his back. Rather than taking a few days off, he pushed through practice and hoped to simply stretch it out, but the muscle was too stiff and by attempting to stretch, he tore the muscle in his back. The end result, was that his shoulder was completely frozen and simple movements were a struggle. Fortunately he recovered by going to physical therapy (A lesson everyone should really learn from) and continues to train with the team to this day!

Kyle will be traveling with the competitive team to Lansing, Michigan next Wednesday to compete in the U.S. National Outdoor Collegiate Championships! We wish him luck in Michigan and in his PhD program!

Ted Kim

Ted Kim

General Biology, minor in Science Education

Marshall College

Senior Nickname: Most Optimistic

UCSD Competitive Archery Team Member

Ted began archery in high school, shooting at Orange County Archery as a birthday present from his dad. As he began to shoot more, Kevin from the archery club began to help him out more! He took a long hiatus from archery in high school, and through most of college, starting it back up again when he joined us in the Competitive Team Workout class during Fall Quarter. Ted began to learn about competitive archery with the team and competed with the team for State Indoor and National Indoor, and hopes to compete in more competitions in the future!

When he graduates from UCSD, Ted will be going immediately into his master's and credential program at UCSD in education which also means he will be able to continue shooting with us!

Ted’s favorite part of being in SGA is going to the field and being able to step away from the craziness of school and life. He appreciates how friendly and helpful the community is and loves how he is constantly getting help on technique and form during every practice!

This year, the team competed in the U.S. National Indoors in Chula Vista, at the Olympic Training Center. National Indoors was Ted’s favorite competition as the facility at the Easton Center of Excellence is incredible and he hopes to shoot in that facility in the future.

It has been amazing to have Ted apart of SGA and we hope to see him come out to the field more often to shoot!