ARCHERY Sharpsville native Burkett fails to make Olympic team

Former Hermitage resident Rod White also fell short.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
MASON -- John Burkett, 21, a native of Sharpsville, Pa., placed eighth and last in the finals of men's recurve competition at the USA Olympic Archery Team Trials Saturday at Heritage Park, and failed to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
After the fifth day of shooting and 29 total matches Saturday, Burkett, who now lives in McDonald, Pa., finished with 4,422 points.
The top three finishers qualified for the U.S. team for the Summer Olympics, held in Athens, Greece, in August, while the fourth-place finisher is an alternate.
The three qualifiers were Vic Wunderle (Mason City, Ill., 4,610); Butch Johnson (Woodstock, Conn., 4,567); and John Magera (Carterville, Ill., 4,472).
The alternate is Jason McKittrick (Holton, Ind., 4,461).
The other finishers
Rounding out the finals field were Joe McGlyn (Floral Park, N.Y., 4,456); Scott McKechnie (Orange, Calif., 4,444); Guy Krueger (Blessing, Texas, 4,429); and Burkett.
Johnson, 48, is a three-time Olympian and is ranked No. 1 in the U.S., while Wunderle, 28, is ranked No. 2.
Magera, 34, is a newcomer who first bought an Olympic style recurve bow last June, after shooting traditional bows since he was 3 years old. His first competition was the Prairie State Games in Illinois last June.
Burkett did well early in the meet to make it to the final eight. The field was reduced from the original 64 shooters to 16 after Wednesday and eight after Thursday for Friday's and Saturday's round-robin competition.
Burkett held fourth place after Thursday's sessions with 2,937 points.
The top three at that point were Wunderle (3,022), Johnson (3,001) and Magera (2,960).
White 16th
Rod White, formerly from Hermitage and now of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, was 16th after Thursday with 2,832 and did not advance to Friday's competition.
White is a two-time Olympian. He was a member of the 1996 U.S. team that won the gold medal and the 2000 team that won the bronze.
Burkett has been a member of the U.S. national team the past five years, after advancing rapidly through the junior ranks. He started shooting when he was 13.
Burkett's biggest achievement to date was winning the Arizona Cup April 7 in Phoenix, beating many of the most prominent archers he is facing this week.
Nichols is top woman
On the women's side, No. 1-ranked Jennifer Nichols of Cheyenne, Wyo., who dominated the entire tournament, finished far ahead in first place with a score of 4,510.
Nichols will compete on her first Olympic Team in Athens along with Stephanie White-Arnold of Portland, Ind., who finished in second with 4,251; and 50-year-old, two-time Olympian Janet Dykman of El Monte, Calif., third with 4,227.
Placing fourth to be named alternate was 16-year-old Kendra Harvey of Rio Rancho, N.M., with 4,205.
The Olympic Games will be held August 13-29, with archery slated Aug. 15-21 at the Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first Modern Olympic Games were held.