The 2026 USA Archery Indoor Nationals and JOAD Indoor Nationals kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona over the opening weekend of the new year — and the standard of shooting set the bar so high that the remaining 17 stops across 16 states have their work cut out to match it. Stars came out, scores soared, and the most open Indoor Nationals season in years began in dramatic fashion under the Arizona sun.
Phoenix marked the first of 18 events in the 57th edition of the USA Archery Indoor Nationals — the most expansive indoor tour ever run by USA Archery. Running from January 2 through March 1, the series spans 16 states with stops as far apart as Chula Vista (California, hosting three times), Newberry (Florida), Yankton (South Dakota), Salt Lake City (Utah), College Station (Texas), and Hillsborough Township (New Jersey). For 2026, USA Archery made a significant structural change: there will be no Indoor Nationals Final. Instead, prize money — expanded to cover the top 10 finishers, up from the previous top 6 — will be distributed based on combined results across all Indoor Nationals locations. The result: every single stop matters more than it ever has before.
2026 Format Changes at a Glance
- No Indoor Nationals Final in 2026 — national titles are decided by combined results across all events, not a single finale.
- Expanded prize money: Top 10 finishers earn prize money in each gender and division, up from the previous top 6. Archers still earn National Championship medals by division.
- New JOAD Club Team Championship: JOAD clubs can now compete in the brand-new JOAD Indoor Nationals Club Team Championship — a historic addition to the programme for youth teams.
- Two new locations: Phoenix, AZ and Cheney, WA make their Indoor Nationals debut in 2026.
- Archers' best results count: Each archer's results accumulate across all events they attend — consistent performance throughout the season is rewarded.
Phoenix Opener Highlights
The Phoenix event drew a strong national field, with several members of the USA Archery National Team using the Arizona opener to set their 2026 baselines. The results exceeded expectations, with two performances in particular standing out from the first weekend.
Brady Ellison — America's most decorated recurve archer and a four-time Olympian — opened his indoor season with characteristic authority. The world number three shot a total of 1,184 points across his 120 arrows, landing an extraordinary 104 of them in the 10-ring. Only one other archer in the entire opening weekend's field achieved the 100-plus 10-ring mark: compound women's standout Alexis Ruiz, who landed 103 tens for a total of 1,183 points. Ellison's opening score sat 36 points clear of second-placed Jackson Mirich.
Alexis Ruiz — the Berlin 2023 World Archery mixed team champion and top seed at the recent Merida IWS 500 — matched Ellison's precision in the compound women's category, her 1,183 putting her 19 points ahead of second-placed Toja Ellison. The results of both Ellison and Ruiz in Phoenix signalled that the standard across the national recurve and compound senior fields is higher than ever heading into the 2026 season — a good omen for USA Archery's preparation for LA 2028.
Other notable national team members appearing in Phoenix included Robby Weissinger and Eric Bennett, with both using the opener as an important early-season calibration stop before the busy international indoor schedule continues.
JOAD Indoor Nationals: A Season of Youth Firsts
Running alongside the senior Indoor Nationals, the JOAD Indoor Nationals brought together young archers at the same locations for a parallel national championship — and 2026 introduces an exciting new dimension for youth clubs. The new JOAD Indoor Nationals Club Team Championship allows JOAD clubs to compete as teams across the series for the first time, adding a collective dimension to what has traditionally been an individual pursuit. Youth archers may compete in either or both the USA Archery Indoor Nationals and the JOAD Indoor Nationals, while senior and 50+ athletes compete only in the USA Archery Indoor Nationals.
The Road Ahead: 17 Stops Still to Come
The Phoenix opener was just the beginning. With 17 events still ahead across 15 states, the national title races in every division are wide open. Key upcoming stops include three visits to Chula Vista (California), plus major stops in Florida, South Dakota, Utah, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, and Virginia before the series concludes on March 1.
Notably, Yankton, South Dakota — home of NFAA Headquarters and the Easton Yankton Archery Center — also features as a host stop, providing a familiar national archery home for Midwest competitors. For the first time in the same year, Yankton will also host both the USA Archery Field Nationals and the USA Archery 3D Nationals in June, doubling as the U.S. Team Trials for both the World Archery Field and 3D Championships.
Key Takeaways
- Brady Ellison opened the indoor season in dominant form — 104 tens and 1,184 points across 120 arrows, one of only two archers to break the 100-tens mark at the opening event.
- Alexis Ruiz matched Ellison's precision in the compound women's category with 103 tens and 1,183 — the highest compound women's score of the opener, 19 points clear of second place.
- The removal of the Indoor Nationals Final and the expansion of prize money to the top 10 reshapes the season's competitive dynamic: every stop now counts, and consistency over 18 events is rewarded like never before.
- The new JOAD Club Team Championship marks a historic expansion of youth team competition within the national indoor series.
- Phoenix and Cheney (WA) both make their Indoor Nationals debut in 2026 — evidence of the programme's continued geographic growth across America.
- With LA 2028 now just over two years away, the 2026 Indoor Nationals season is one of the most important domestic competitive cycles in USA Archery's preparation for a home Olympics.