Abby Hora

Abby Hora

Literature/Writing + Music

Sixth College

Senior Nickname: sAltY mEme MaeSTra

USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
2017-2019 Treasurer
2016-2019 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2018 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Barebow Mixed Team Bronze
2018 Western Regionals Barebow Mixed Team Gold
2018 Western Regionals Female Recurve Team Silver
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Barebow Mixed Team Bronze

As a commuter student during her time at UCSD, Abby started her freshman year off with a search for new friends and new activities. Upon discovering Sun God Archery, she knew the club would be the perfect place for both, and quickly became an integral part of the club’s social life and team.

From her time on the team, Abby’s fondest memory was at Westies 2018. Since she decided to shoot in both the barebow and recurve divisions at that competition, she was able to compete with more of her friends on the team. Though keeping up with both divisions was stressful at the time, she enjoyed the team rounds the most and will miss the energy and hype that always came with them. She’s grateful to the friends who supported me with each shot and for making that tournament one of the best memories she has from her time with SGA.

Like many of our competitive archers though, Abby struggled with performance anxiety. There were times when she had trouble feeling confident in her shot process, especially during competitions. However, through personal determination and the support of her teammates and coaches, she gradually learned to focus on enjoying archery for the experience of shooting with her friends rather than the location of her arrows on the target. Learning to let go of the need to succeed took a lot of pressure off her, and helped her grow both in and out of archery.

Given that, it’s no surprise that Abby’s most important piece of advice for new shooters is to have compassion for themselves. She understands that it can be easy to fall into a rut when you don’t progress at the rate you’d like, but emphasizes that there is nothing wrong with struggle--especially in a sport like archery that requires such mental strength. To Abby, it’s most important for new archers to enjoy archery for the sport and the people they meet in it, rather than winning medals and being the best. Overcoming the challenges of competition can be rewarding, but always take the time to work on your own shot process and grow at your own pace. And lastly, she reminds new archers to always have fun.

After she graduates, Abby will be attending SDSU for a Master’s in Creative Writing. We hope that as long as she’s in San Diego, she’ll continue to visit and never fail to make us laugh with her Spongebob jokes and references.

We wish her all the best, and congratulations on graduating!

Michael Philips

Michael Phillips

Linguistics

Sixth College

Senior Nickname: Micycle

USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
2017-2019 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2018 SoCal Indoor Archery Collegiate Championship Male Recurve Bronze

Michael found his way to the Sun God Archery through UCSD Recreation’s archery classes. He and his roommate were looking for something new to try, and had signed up for a beginner class in fall of their second year. From there, they continued fostering their interest in archery by joining the club, and eventually the competitive team.

Michael’s favorite competition was the 2019 NOCC in Ohio. This was due in part to a pre-existing desire to visit the state, but also because the tournament was his first time attending an outdoor competition. Being able to shoot with his friends and meet people from around the country made the event an altogether interesting, fun, and enjoyable experience for him.

However, Michael was also highly involved in the club outside the team itself--namely, teaching the JOAD classes. For him, teaching archery to kids of different ages and skill levels proved challenging, yet exciting due to the dynamic it created among the students. Acting as the personal coach for some of his more ambitious students, Michael recalls attending the 2019 JOAD Indoor Nationals as his fondest memory from his time in the club. It was the first time he’d attended a competition to support a student, and during the midday break between lines he and his student were able to eat and play board games together for a while.

Michael’s time as the JOAD instructor, both during the classes and while supporting students at competition, allowed him to better appreciate the work it takes to coach both new and continuing archers. At competitions, it allowed him to see tournaments from a different perspective and emphasized the importance of mindset and mental game in that setting. His biggest takeaway from working with young archers is that ultimately, archery is meant to be enjoyable for the process itself. It can be easy to get caught up in winning and focusing on success in score, but seeing the JOAD archers focus on having a good time reminded him why he enjoyed archery in the first place.

When he graduates, Michael will be going through a teacher credential program, then pursuing a Master’s in education. He hopes to eventually teach elementary school students. Congratulations Michael, and we wish you luck in your teaching career!

Dan Nguyen

Dan Nguyen

Biochemistry + Biology

Roosevelt College

Senior Nickname: Armed Waifu

2015-2019 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2018 SIACC Mixed Team Barebow – Bronze
2019 SIACC Mixed Team Barebow – Silver
2019 NOCC Individual Barebow – Bronze
2019 All-American Male Barebow

Fate has brought the bow into Dan’s hands, both before college and into Sun God Archery. His archery journey began when his sister’s co-worker invited them to go out to Miles Square Park to shoot at the public archery range back when he was in 8th grade. After this, he kept coming back, until his parents finally decided he should get his own bow. Later on in college, it was instead a friend from his 1st year dorm who invited Dan to join her at one of SGA’s beginning of the year GBMs. There, he saw the presentation that he would then see again for the next three years. After going to his first workshop, he was hooked, and came back to be a star archer in SGA’s competitive team.

Dan’s competitive career in archery has been fraught with many highs and lows, clearly reflected in his most memorable, then separately his most favorite memories at the competitive scene. Dan remembers fondly NOCC of 2016, being able to relax and have fun, a stark difference to when he’s on the line shooting. He also loves to think back on eating Lolita’s with the team and cheering on for his teammates (after getting quickly eliminated himself). This is a stark contrast to his most memorable memory, in which at NOCC 2019, Dan was about to win his semifinals match. All he had to do was score at least a white ring on the target. So, he promptly shot a 9 – on the next bail over. Effectively throwing his silver away, but instead walking away with a fantastic story.

In SGA, however, it wasn’t the stress of the competition that was his mortal enemy, or even his inner conflict with being a weeb, but rather performing consistently at the line, the foundational, yet most difficult task of archery. While he believes there’s always room for improvement, he recognizes he has come a long way since he walked on that field during the workshop so many years ago.

After Dan graduates, he’s looking to get into the highest paying job to get out of debt as soon as possible, and maybe even one day coming back to it to go to graduate school. We will miss Dan greatly, and truly hope him the best in his next chapter of life!

Elizabeth Wu

Elizabeth Wu

Human DevelopmentAl Sciences

Marshall College

Senior Nickname: The Wholesome Peace-Seeker

USA Archery Level 2 NTS Instructor
2016-2017 Vice President
2017-2019 President
2015-2019 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2019 SGA Apollonian Award
2018 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Silver
2017 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Champion

Elizabeth’s first experience with archery was at the young age of 10, when she took a 1-day class with her sisters. However, she never thought she would come back to it until her freshman year at UCSD when she found Sun God Archery on library walk. After attending a beginner's workshop, she was drawn to the welcoming community and uniqueness of the sport. From there, she began her journey into the world of archery.

As a senior now four years later, Elizabeth's favorite part of being in the club is still the community. With all the practice hours she attended, she became close friends with her teammates and the club quickly became part of her social life.

Another aspect of being on the team that Elizabeth appreciated was the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level despite no past experience in archery. During her journey in competitive archery, Elizabeth struggled with not seeing immediate results. She failed to qualify for the team during outdoor season of her first year, but rather than give up, she was only more determined to improve for her second year. Her patience and perseverance paid off in the following Western Regionals in Davis, CA when she shot and won gold with the women's recurve team.

For Elizabeth, archery has always been a learning process, whether that meant her participation on the team or as a club officer. During her three years on the board, she learned to appreciate improvement as an ongoing process, move past mistakes, and seek to better herself. These experiences and skills that she gained contributed a lot to her personal growth both inside and outside of the club.

Thinking back, one defining moment of archery for Elizabeth was at 2017 State Indoors in Tulare, CA. The team was waiting in line for the venue in the cold morning air and to stay warm, everyone started bobbing up and down. This quickly developed into a pattern, with every other person bouncing in sync with each other. Other memorable experiences included a bumpy and unsettling bus ride, card games, and fun food adventures.

Once she graduates, Elizabeth will be attending law school at Santa Clara University. We thank her for her years on the team and the board, congratulate her on graduating, and wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors!

Brian Frastaci

Brian Frastaci

History + Classical Studies

Marshall College

Senior Nickname: Speediest Bookworm

USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
2015-2019 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2019 All-American Academic

When Brian first drew back a bow in the ninth grade, he enjoyed the feeling of shooting and wanted to see if it would be worthwhile as a hobby. When he found Sun God Archery, he was reminded of his high school experience and decided to continue shooting in college, and thus his adventure with Sun God Archery began.

What really drew Brian to SGA is how comprehensive it feels. With SGA being social, recreational, and competitive, Brian could he shoot and compete while making new friends. Of all of the tournaments he has competed at, Brian’s favorite is National Outdoor Collegiate Championship (NOCC) because he got the opportunity to travel to an exotic place like Ohio and compete there.

In his time with SGA, Brian has had many memorable experiences. His weirdest experience was accidentally walking into an arrow at NOCC and having to reassure his balemates--while he was bleeding--that he wasn’t diseased. Out of all his memories though, his favorite was shooting at Indoor Nationals and being the best collegiate barebow at the venue. Above all, he recalls this sport challenging him to grow.

After graduation, Brian will be applying to graduate programs for history or religious studies, and he also plans to do freelance copy-editing on the side. We wish him luck in all of his future endeavors! Congratulations on graduating!

Kelton Cheng

Kelton Cheng

Electrical Engineering

Warren College

Senior Nickname: The G.O.A.T. of Barebow

2015-2016 Vice President
2016-2018 Equipment Manager
2017-2018 Webmaster
2014-2018 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2018 SGA Apollonian Award
2015 National Indoor Championship Barebow Collegiate Male Qualification Gold
2015 Western Regional Male Barebow Gold
2015 National Collegiate Barebow Champion
2015 Male Barebow All West
2015 Male Barebow All American
2016 Western Regional Male Barebow Gold
2016 Western Regional Male Barebow Team Gold
2017 National Male Barebow Team Bronze
2017 National Mixed Barebow Team Bronze
2018 SoCal Collegiate Indoor Recurve Mixed Team Bronze
2018 National Indoor Championship Barebow Collegiate Male Qualification Gold
2018 Western Regional Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2018 National Mixed Barebow Team Bronze
2018 National Male Barebow Team Champion
2018 National Collegiate Barebow Champion

Kelton initially didn't have archery on his list of interests upon entering UCSD, and it wasn't until the summer after his first year that he decided to enroll in an archery rec class - partly because he always thought archery looked cool in the movies and partly because of his pestering brother. Kelton was finally introduced to SGA after running into Robert Nicholes during a CHEM 6C fire drill; they bonded over their arm guard tans, Kelton joined SGA, and he would go on to achieve the club's first national title.

Out of all the competitions that he has attended, Kelton's favorite was his second outdoor tournament NOCC 2015 in Virginia. It was his first time traveling with team members, and he was drawn in by the great sense of community and sportsmanship between all the colleges. He distinctly remembered cheering "Barebow best bow!" alongside fellow barebow archers after the first 36 arrows of day two. The surprise and confusion of fellow compound archers was a humorous touch to the memory, and Kelton also fondly recalled synchronizing shots with the other barebows on day one. It was here that he achieved the club's first national title: 2015 Barebow National Champion. It was a moment that Kelton and plenty of other archers were not going to forget.

Regarding memorable moments, Kelton's most defining memory of archery was his Recurve Mixed Team gold medal match with Kaitlyn Huang at WROCC 2018. This was his first time shooting recurve in the outdoor season, and he had been practicing tirelessly for almost an entire year to prepare. He stated, "This was the only chance that I had to shoot mixed teams with Kaitlyn, and I aimed for nothing less than a gold with her." When the time came, Kelton delivered as promised and worked with Kaitlyn up to the gold medal match. They came out with the win in the end, proving to Kelton that all his hard work had not been in vain. He set a goal for himself and saw it through to the end in that good old fashioned Kelton way.

The SGA community would always remain a strong favorite of Kelton's as well. He was able to challenge himself while still being able to form meaningful relationships with fellow members. Kelton provided one solid piece of advice for all incoming shooters: enjoy yourself, and don't focus too much on individual performance in relation to others. He definitely embodied this mindset and always stayed true to his shot process and goals, in and outside of competition.

After he graduates, Kelton plans on pursuing a career in information technology and is currently starting off in the health insurance field.

We wish the best of luck to Kelton and hope he continues to grace us with his charming presence at the field. His comedic personality and mind-blowing skills are out of this world, and we are very grateful for the privilege of getting to know him over the past few years. Congratulations on graduating!

Kaitlyn Huang

Kaitlyn Huang

Statistics and probability

Revelle College

Senior Nickname: The Derpiest Competitive Birb

USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach
2016-2018 SGA Junior Olympic Program Director
2015-2018 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2016 State Indoor Female Recurve Champion
2016 Easton Foundation Vegas Prep Silver
2016 Western Regional Female Recurve Qualification Silver
2016 Western Regional Female Recurve Silver
2016 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Champion
2016 Western Regional Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2016 California State Outdoor Colligate Champion
2015-16 Female Recurve All West
2015-16 Female Recurve All American
2017 California State Indoor Female Recurve Champion
2017 Western Regional Female Recurve Qualification Silver
2017 Western Regional Female Recurve Bronze
2017 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Champion
2017 Western Regional Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2016-17 Female Recurve All West
2017 NOCC Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2018 SoCal Collegiate Indoor Female Recurve Qualification Bronze
2018 SoCal Collegiate Indoor Recurve Mixed Team Bronze
2018 Western Regional Female Recurve Qualification Bronze
2018 Western Regional Female Recurve Silver
2018 Western Regional Female Recurve Team Silver
2018 Western Regional Recurve Mixed Team Champion
2017-18 Female Recurve All West
2018 NOCC Recurve Mixed Team Bronze

Kaitlyn first delved into the world of archery when her parents' friends started an archery academy in Stockton, CA in February of 2013. She quickly picked up the sport and began attending various competitions; she was eventually introduced to Nick Kale by her coach at Indoor Nationals 2015. Upon her enrollment at UCSD, Kaitlyn joined SGA without a second thought. She stated, "All of the colleges I looked into had some type of competitive archery program. UCSD stood out to me for the convenient location, but I stayed in SGA for the community a.k.a. 'da fwendship.' :3"

Kaitlyn's defining memory of archery was her participation in the Recurve Mixed Team shootoff with SGA Alumni Jason Tong against Texas A&M at NOCC 2017. The energy of all the teams was a continuous hum in the air as Kaitlyn and Jason stepped up to the shooting line. Armed with her competitive nature and admirable concentration, Kaitlyn loosed an arrow into the 9-ring, a point above Texas A&M's 8-ring shot. Jason followed up with another 9 points as Kaitlyn watched with bated breath. Another 8 points from Texas A&M's second and last arrow. A smile just waiting to happen spread across Kaitlyn's face. The stress and anticipation were finally over. She had tirelessly fought for and achieved her 2017 National Champion title.

Additionally, Kaitlyn's fondest memory of archery was winning Recurve Mixed Team Gold with Kelton Cheng at WROCC 2018. It was the last opportunity for her to shoot with him, and they made sure to make the most of it. Their teamwork rivaled that of the other teams, and they performed as if they had been shooting mixed teams for her entire time with SGA. This marked Kaitlyn's third of three Recurve Mixed Team Champion titles for the outdoor season, and she couldn't have been more content to reach this achievement with Kelton.

After she graduates, Kaitlyn plans to participate in research projects for the time being. She has graduate school in mind and is planning to apply this coming Fall.

We wish her the very best in her future endeavors and hope to see her continuing to hit those 10's at the field. We extend our utmost gratitude to Kaitlyn for bringing her outstanding skills and beautiful personality to SGA.

Congratulations on graduating!

Yashwanth Nannapaneni

Yashwanth Nannapaneni

Computer Science

Warren College

Senior Nickname: The Nerdiest Naan-a-panini

2016-2018 Team Captain
2015-2018 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2016 National Indoor Collegiate Championship Male Barebow - Silver
2016 Western Regional Male Barebow - Silver
2016 Western Regional Male Barebow Team - Gold
2016 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Male Barebow - Silver
2016 All-American Male Barebow
2016 Academic All-American Male Barebow
2016 All-West Male Barebow
2017 National Indoor Collegiate Championship Male Barebow – Gold
2017 National Indoor Junior Male Barebow - Gold
2017 Western Regional Male Barebow Team - Silver
2017 All-American Male Barebow
2017 Academic All-American Male Barebow
2017 All-West Male Barebow
2018 Western Regional Male Barebow - Bronze
2018 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Male Barebow - Bronze
2018 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Male Barebow Team - Gold
2018 All-American Male Barebow
2018 All-American Male Barebow
2018 All-West Male Barebow

Yashwanth started archery his first year at UCSD with the traditional archery rec class and then moved to SGA because he wanted to shoot with other students. His roommate originally brought him along to the workshops and then they joined the traditional rec class together because it fit their schedule best. Eventually, however, his roommate dropped off but Yash wanted to continue and then joined SGA. When he joined archery, he enjoyed all the coaching he received, especially from Thomas (a community member), and hanging out with other archers like Kelton, Joyce, and Johnathan. He became more and more involved in archery because it felt great to shoot a good shot, which only comes from practicing more.

Yash’s favorite part of being a member of SGA is the community – the people are the reason he continued to come to practice despite hard points in his archery career. Just being at practice, hanging out with other people, and being a part of this community has made him many friends here at UCSD. If Yash could provide one piece of advice to incoming archers it would be to not forget to have fun even when you are under pressure to shoot well.

In regards to defining memories, Yash does not have just one: his whole archery career has been defining. Of course, there are high points in which he won national medals, but also some low points that have helped him mature and grow as both an archer and a person. “Being able to push through low points makes you a better person and archer because you struggle through it even when it’s hard”. Other important moments in Yash’s time with SGA were the team socials, like dinner at Souplantation in which the tables had a competition of who could eat the most bowls of soup. All together they probably had over 100 bowls!

After he graduates, Yashwanth will be going to graduate school for a Masters in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA. We wish him the very best of luck in all future endeavors and we hope he can find the time to visit us in the future. His warm smile and positive spirit will be greatly missed. Congratulations on graduating!!

Warren Au

Warren Au

BioChemistry + Cell Biology

Warren College

Senior Nickname: Martial Master

USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
2017-2018 Social Chair
2015-2018 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2018 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Men's Recurve Team - Silver

Warren stumbled upon archery at the beginning of his sophomore year while looking for a sport that didn’t require running or intense exertion. After trying it out, he found it really relaxing so he decided to continue and join the team. To him, going to the field to shoot became, as he describes it, “a source of mental clarity and relaxation”.

Of all the years he’s been in SGA, there are two memories that stand out. This first one was during his first year in archery when he managed to get an 8 average for each shot at 70 meters. Being able to do that gave him such a huge boost of confidence that he felt ready to go zombie hunting. The second one was collaboratively contributing to the "gaem [sic] plan" for the men's recurve team at the National Outdoor Collegiate Championship this year. This plan entailed the person calling arrows to shout "Johnathan's legs" for any shot in the white rings, "Daddy Arsi" for any shot in the black rings, "My tears" for blue rings, and normal calls for the rest. He states, “It was amusing to see how much the team enjoyed this and participated in carrying it out. We thought we'd get out in the second round but funnily enough, we actually made it to the finals and got silver.”

In terms of the defining moment of his time in archery, he provided a quick and bittersweet answer. “The defining moment is its ending. It makes me recall all of the fun moments - all the dumb things that turned into hilarious moments and all the good times - it's like having your life flash before your eyes, but it's archery.”

When asked what wisdom he’d like to impart on new and current archers he says, “Believing in yourself is the first step to shooting better. If that doesn’t work, do more SPTs.” As for a senior quote that would summarize his whole experience, he kept it very simple: “Thanks, you’re pretty too.” (if you’re interested in the backstory of this quote, be sure to ask him the next time you see him.)

After he graduates he plans to finish his TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification and then travel abroad to Asia where he’ll teach or work for an indeterminate number of years while exploring entrepreneurial business opportunities (like opening a transnational comfort food restaurant or cafe).

His natural ability to make others feel comfortable and have fun at the field has been felt by many of our members and will definitely be missed. We wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors! Congratulations on graduating!

Dalena Dang

Dalena Dang

General Biology

Sixth College

Senior Nickname: The Best Dang L-eye-t of Our Lives

2017-2018 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Dalena first found out about SGA when she attended the beginner workshops hosted at the start of the school year. Like many others, she kept coming back to the field because she found archery fun.

Though she had only started shooting her senior year, Dalena decided to make the leap to join the competitive team anyway. She felt it would be a good way to meet people from different schools and it would encourage her to improve “in a way that wasn't just practice.” Her efforts and dedication to personal improvement led her to compete at multiple tournaments with the team, including at this year’s NOCC.

As many competitive archers know, one of the most difficult aspects of being an archer is maintaining a strong mental game. Dalena was no different. However, she says, “SGA helped me keep my spirits up and gave me the encouragement I needed to do the best I could.”

After she graduates, Dalena plans to apply to optometry school after completing an internship with her optometrist.

We at SGA wish her the best of luck in everything she does and hope that she will have the time to come back to the field and see us again. Congratulations on graduating!

Wen Gu

Wen Gu

Chemical Engineering

Sixth College

Senior Nickname: Wenpai the Gu-fy Goober

USA Archery Level 3 NTS Coach
2015-2018 UCSD Archery Competitive Team Member

Accolades
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Men's Barebow Individuals - Silver
2017 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Men's Barebow Team - Bronze
2017 Western Regionals Men's Barebow Individuals - Silver
2017 Western Regionals Men's Barebow Team - Silver
2018 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Men's Barebow Individuals - Silver
2018 National Outdoor Collegiate Championship Men's Barebow Team - Gold
2018 All-American Male Barebow
2018 Western Regionals Men's Barebow Individuals - Silver
2018 Western Regionals Men's Barebow Mixed Team - Gold
2018 All-West Male Barebow
2018 National Indoors Men's Barebow Individuals - Silver

Long before he began his career at UCSD and joined SGA, Wen was an archer at heart. He was an avid video gamer and played as the archer whenever possible. When he got to campus in 2014 and walked down library walk during welcome week, a match was made in heaven. He saw someone holding a bow and walked over immediately. The club was SGA and the rest was history!

After starting off as a recreational shooter, Wen transitioned to the competitive team in his second year through which he has found great success as a barebow shooter and has created lasting memories at the tournaments he has attended. His favorite tournament to attend has been Western Regionals because this is where everyone shoots outdoor for the first time. It also gives him the opportunity to see familiar faces such as friends from the other UC's. However, his fondest archery memory has to have been the time he and some team members were coming back from state indoors. Hurtling down the road at 80 mph, he and five other teammates played Love Letter in the back of the car and had the time of their lives.

Wen's favorite part about being in SGA is archery itself and his love of the sport. It drives him to succeed both in the sport and outside it. As both a coach and an archer, Wen advises new shooters to "just enjoy the sport. Have fun!"

After he graduates, Wen hopes to find an engineering job. We at SGA know he will succeed at whatever he endeavors and wish him luck in all that the future has to offer! We hope he comes around to the range whenever he can because his fun loving presence will be missed. Congratulations on graduating Wen!

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!