Sydney Sullenberger, a Valrico native archer, has had an eventful summer competing. Sullenberger is part of the Columbia University Varsity Archery Team and is a member of the 2025 USA Archery World Championship team.
In 2014, at the young age of 10, Sullenberger started her archery journey at a local archery shop called Adventures Archery in Tampa. There her passion and skills developed, and she would later compete in her first competition, winning the national championship in 2016.
Sullenberger competed in Chula Vista, California, from June 19-23. There she competed in stage one through three of the U.S. World Championship Team Trials. The national qualifier event served as stage two of the trials, where Sullenberger qualified second and finished fifth. These events were held at the Olympic Training Center, where Sullenberger earned her spot on the 2025 World Championship Team. This sent her to the world cup in Spain a month later and the world championship in South Korea this upcoming September.
“To be able to compete again this season after missing last year due to multiple surgeries is super special for me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to defend my 2023 World Youth Champion title since I aged out during my time recovering, but now I have the opportunity to bring home more medals for Team USA and show what I am made of,” said Sullenberger.
Following the conclusion of U.S. World Championship Team Trials, Sullenberger represented Team USA in Madrid, Spain, from July 8-11 at the world cup. Sullenberger recorded her best individual senior world cup performance in her career, finishing 17th at the competition.
Sullenberger had a quick turnaround for her next event in Essen, Germany, from July 19-28. There she competed in the FISU World University Games, which she qualified for at the team trials at the USA Archery Collegiate Target Nationals on May 16. Representing the United States, Sullenberger placed seventh, and her team finished second, earning them a silver medal.
“Seeing my world ranking climb into the top 100 after my eventful summer just proves that my persistence and hard work is paying off,” said Sullenberger in response to her resilience.
As September nears, Sullenberger is staying focused and training for the world championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Upon her return from South Korea, Sullenberger will transition into her senior season with Columbia University.
