Uniontown, PA – World Champion 3-D archer and host of Name The Game TV, Levi Morgan, continued his quest for the 2015 IBO Triple Crown National Championship, with another win at the second leg, held June 12-14, in Erie, PA. Morgan has now won both of the first two legs of the Triple Crown and holds an 11-pt lead on point totals.
Day one, found Morgan peered with the top five shooters from the first leg of the Triple Crown, in Bedford, including: Tim GIllingham, Joseph Goza, Garret Ayersman, and Nathan Brooks. The shooters faced cloudy, overcast skies and rain early on. Thick foliage and tight target lanes made for dark targets and difficult shooting conditions. After Morgan stuck an 11 on the long opening target, he came up short on the second target, scoring an 8, which put him in the chase position early in the round. Morgan eventually hit a string of 11's on his first ten targets, but found another 8. Despite the 8's, he was up by two points with 10 targets to go in the first round and he knew it would take a stronger second half effort in the first round to have a chance to compete for a win on Day 2.
"I knew I couldn't shoot two 8's in an opening round of an IBO event in the Pro category and expect to win," said Morgan. "I knew I could do better and I was going to have to find away to pull together a better second half of the first round to put myself in a position to win."
In traditional form, Morgan dug deep and found a way hold the lead by two points after the first round. Morgan finished Day 1 at 210 (+10).
Day 2 found Morgan peered with another very tough group of Pros, including: Garrett Ayersman, Dan McCarthy, Tommy Gomez, and Jack Wallace.
"I knew all too well that everyone of those guys was an unbelievable shooter and SOMEONE was going to shoot really well," said Morgan. "I knew going into Day 2 that I was going to have to shoot my butt off to stay competitive and have a chance."
The rain held off for the early portion of Day 2, but the dark skies continued to make judging targets difficult on the thick, wooded course. The previous day's rain had made for muddy conditions and tricky footing at every target. Regardless, Morgan held a five-point lead with seven targets to go in the final round. But just as quickly as things had started to go Morgan's way, the situation began to tighten. Morgan's close misses, turned into solid "makes" for Dan McCarthy and Garret Ayersman. And, suddenly, with only two targets left, Morgan's lead had shrunk to three points.
"That's when the rain kicked in and it began to pour," said Morgan. "We had a long bedded doe, up a hill, and all I needed was a 10 to lock it up, but pulled it left and shot an 8."
With one target to go, Morgan found himself in a three-way tie with McCarthy and Ayersman. Their final target was a 47-yard grey ram that was slightly angled. A tough target on any day, the dark conditions and the slight angle made it even more difficult for the group of Pros. Wallace was up first and led with a 10. Morgan, the second shooter on the final target, put his Gold Tip Pro 22 right in the heart of the 11 ring – exactly what he needed to do to lock down the win. McCarthy ended with an 11 and Ayersman with a 10. Despite Morgan and McCarthy tying on score (419), Morgan won based on 11's, finishing at +25 to McCarthy's +23. Ayerman finished third with a 418 (+20).
The Pro Division of the IBO sanctioned 3-D event features a total of 20 unmarked targets shot on Day 1 and 20 unmarked targets shot on Day 2. Contestants shoot each target twice per day, scored as 5 (non-vital body), 8, 10, and 11-point rings per target, thus a perfect possible score of 440. Target distances varied in range out to a maximum of approximately 50 yards. No range finding equipment is allowed at the IBO unmarked event, putting additional pressure on shooters to accurately judge distances.
"The competition at the Pro level is so tough right now you just can't take a single target for granted," said Morgan. "Any one of these guys, at any time, can shoot lights out, which makes it so rewarding to take home each and every win. I've learned from experience, you just never give up, you have to find a way."
ABOUT LEVI MORGAN: World renowned archer, Levi Morgan, is a 10x World Champion, 42x National Champion, 11x Shooter of the Year and has won the ASA Shooter of the Year title a record setting 8x in a row. He is the Host of the popular hunting show, Name The Game, currently airing on the Sportsman Channel. For more information on Levi Morgan, please visit NameTheGameTV.com.
LEVI MORGAN TOURNAMENT SET UP:
BOW: Elite Victory – 70 lbs.
ARROWS: Gold Tip 22 Pros with Q2i Fusion X 2.1 vanes
REST: QAD HDX Tournament Prototype
SIGHT: CBE Vertex, no lens, .010 pin
RELEASE: SCOTT Exxus
