Matthew Byrnes Finishes Fourth in Archery Championship

Buccaneer archer Matthew Byrnes finished fourth over the weekend at the Eastern Regional Collegiate Championships at James Madison University in Harrisburg, Virginia.

Matthew Byrnes is a Southern Regional High School graduate and Atlantic Cape Community College student who lives in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township. Byrnes not only finished fourth in the competition but earned a spot on the All-Eastern Regional team. The top three finishers made the all-regional team, and Byrnes was the top finisher.

At the weekend competition he scored, 695 of a possible 720 points during the scoring rounds.  Byrnes led all his male compound competitors by more than 10 points and earned the number one seed heading into the elimination rounds on the second day. He won his first two matches in the elimination rounds before having unfortunate close losses in his semifinal and bronze-medal matches.

Atlantic Cape’s archery facilities were closed for much of the year due to the pandemic, but Byrnes practiced on his own and looked for any opportunity to compete and stay at his best.

Byrnes was the only Atlantic Cape archer to compete in Harrisburg, Virginia this weekend, due to pandemic regulations. He will return to competition in May at the U.S. Collegiate National Championships in Richmond, Virginia.