Plainfield 202 Student Wins State Archery Championship

From Plainfield Community School District 202:

Plainfield – Plainfield East High School junior Megan McDonough beat eight women to win the Illinois Target Archery Association’s 2020 Junior Olympic Archery Development program (JOAD) Indoor State Championship in the Olympic Recurve Cadet Female category.

The competition was held February 1, 2020 at the DuPage County Fair Grounds. McDonough also earned the highest Olympic Recurve score of the tournament.

McDonough, who competed against women 14-17 years old, said calming her nerves was a big factor to winning the championship.

“I was trying to get those butterflies I felt to fly into formation and to be able to harness all of the stress,” she said. “Once I got control of my nerves and got everything going, it all lined up.”

McDonough first tried archery when she was eight years old with her Girl Scout troop, she said. From that point on, she knew it would become a major part of her life.

“I had such a great time when I first tried archery that it spiraled from there, I wanted more,” she said.

McDonough signed up for archery with the Bolingbrook Park District and then moved onto Chicago Bow Hunters. She has competed with the Bow Hunters ever since.

Looking over her archery career, McDonough knows how far she has come.

“There was a point where I couldn’t even hit the target and now, I can shoot confidently and have the confidence in my shot to be able to trust myself,” she said.

Earning first place at the tournament was no easy feat and the competition went down to the wire. She and the second-place winner were tied until the very end. She literally had to achieve the highest-possible score to win, and she did.

“I was so nervous sitting there watching the live scoring,” McDonough said. “It was crazy to sit there and think of what I had just accomplished.”

McDonough, who is ranked 10th in the nation in the cadet division, was recently invited by USA Archery to travel to Medellin, Colombia for a world ranking competition in June.

“When I first found out about the invitation to go to Colombia, I was in shock,” McDonough said. “I am so excited to be given the chance to represent my country along with my state and to be able to perform on an international stage.”

McDonough’s next goal is to compete at the 2024 Olympics.