Suffridge takes reins of RedStorm archery program

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande has named Jacob Suffridge as the new head coach of its archery program.
     Suffridge, who has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the program, replaces former head coach Jonathan Clemins, who was not retained following the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year.
     "I'm very excited for the opportunity to continue building on what we've already established there," Suffridge said. "It's a lot easier stepping into a situation where things are already pretty well established. The thing now is to take that momentum and build upon it and make sure everyone on the team is taken care of."
     Rio Grande has enjoyed a great deal of success over the program's first two years of existence, including multiple national championships and top three finishes.
     The RedStorm won the 3D national title last season, in addition to claiming the top spot in the prestigious Vegas Shoot. The team also finished third in both the indoor and outdoor national championship events.
     "The immediate goal is to maintain what we have and to make sure that those kids are taken care of. I think we're going to be able to do that," Suffridge said. "There's been some miscommunication in the past between the coaches and the student-athletes, but we're going to fix that. We'll make a couple of structural changes as far as what goes on during practice and things like that."
     Rio Grande athletic director Brandon Bias said he's confident that Suffridge is the right man for the job.
     "I believe strongly in hiring the right fit for each program and, sometimes, the right fit is a coach who is early in their coaching career," said Bias. "Unfortunately, those coaches can often get overlooked because of their lack of experience. That's not the case here. We believe coach Suffridge is the right fit for Rio. He's already built strong relationships with our current and incoming archers and that will help create a smooth transition. We believe he can maintain the level of success that our archery program has achieved while also bringing his own vision and personality. We're excited to see what's next for Rio archery."
     Prior to becoming a coach at the collegiate level, Suffridge was a member of the University of Pikeville's successful program for four seasons, where he won a pair of individual national championships for the Bears.
     "This is second nature for me now. I've been there and done the dance," he said. We just to continue to grow and be a highly-competitive collegiate archery program."