Clayton State spoils UNG’s home opener, 2-1

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DAHLONEGA – An early second half goal by the visiting Lakers would be the difference as the No. 17 University of North Georgia men’s soccer team dropped its 2022 Peach Belt Conference home opener, 2-1, to visiting Clayton State at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park.

Clayton State’s Isaac Pimenta powered a shot into the top right corner in the match’s 57 minute to provide the match’s final separation.

The Lakers opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Geo Rios found the back of the next after an assist by Alexis Iturria.

North Georgia equalized less than three minutes later when Santiago Gimenez converted a penalty kick.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Clayton State was one shot shy of doubling up the Nighthawks in the shot column, holding a 15-8 advantage.
• The physical game featured eight yellow cards including four for each side.
• UNG’s Hazel Ley tallied eight saves in goal matching his single highest turn aways of the year (8).
• The Lakers’ 10 shots on goal is the second time this season that the Nighthawk defense has allowed double figure shots on frame.
• CSU (2-2-2, 1-1-0) extends its series lead to 19-4-3 all-time.
• The match served as the Nighthawks’ annual Operation Nighthawks of Honor and Military Appreciation celebration.

NEXT UP
North Georgia (3-3-0, 0-2-0 PBC) wraps up the two-match home stand on Wednesday, Sept. 14 when the Nighthawks host Young Harris in the second contest of a Battle of Blood Mountain doubleheader. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

UNG blanks Georgia Southwestern in Peach Belt Conference opener

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DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia women’s soccer team defeated Georgia Southwestern 3-0 in the Nighthawk’s Peach Belt Conference opener.

Abbie Crane kicked off the scoring for UNG in the 18th minute with her team-leading third goal of the season. The first half stayed at 1-0 for most of the half despite the Nighthawks having multiple chances.

Late in the first half, Alex Clark found an opportunity from an assist by Katey Derkay and put the Nighthawks up by two goals just 30 seconds before the two sides head into halftime.

The final nail in the coffin came from Skylar Abbott, who put pressure on a Hurricane defense that had had to withstand a strong UNG attack for most of the match. Abbott used an assist by Katey Derkay, her second of the game, to put the game officially out of reach in the 88th minute.

UNG moves to 1-0 in PBC play this year and 3-1-1 overall after facing a tough non-conference schedule.

Inside the Box Score

  • UNG allowed just one shot in the contest, outshooting the Hurricanes by 19.
  • Katey Derkay joins Cat Watry as the only Nighthawks to record a multi-assist game.
  • The Nighthawks continue their streak of four consecutive shutouts against GSW.

Next Up
The Nighthawks will host Young Harris for The Battle of Blood Mountain; Young Harris fell to Georgia College 0-1 in their PBC opener.

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Crews Taylor named to NCAA Division II Gold Glove team

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GREENSBORO, NC. — Before the baseball season gets too far in the rearview mirror, Fetch Your News would like to recognize a University of North Georgia player who received an award in June that only one player in school history has earned.

The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods announced the NCAA Division II Gold Glove teams with the University of North Georgia’s Crews Taylor earning a spot on the prestigious nine-player list as an outfielder.

Taylor becomes just the second player in program history to win a Rawlings Gold Glove on the national level joining Devin Gearhart’s distinction in 2016. Four Nighthawks previously won the defensive honor at the region level.

The ABCA’s Southeast Region Position Player of the Year and All-American, anchored down centerfield for the Nighthawks where he collected 184 putouts and gunned down five runners in an errorless 51-game season.

The senior led the Peach Belt in home runs, doubles, runs scored, slugging percentage and total hits and was in the league’s top 10 in batting average and RBI. His 23 home runs this season is tied for ninth-most in a single season in PBC history and is sixth-most in NCAA Division II this season.

He was named PBC Player of the Year and first team All-Conference prior to being named All-Region first team by D2CCA, NCBWA and ABCA.

Taylor added 17 doubles and 56 RBI, scoring 69 times while posting a .758 slugging percentage and stealing 18 bases in as many attempts.

UNG’s Crews Taylor named Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – University of North Georgia baseball player Crews Taylor was tabbed as the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year, earning first team honors in the process, the league office announced Thursday. Additionally, Jacob Lassiat was named the Elite 16 Award Winner, while Pierce Williams and Jake Arnold earned second team accolades.

Taylor was an offensive machine for the Nighthawks. The senior outfielder from Lawrenceville, Georgia, led the Peach Belt in home runs, doubles, runs scored, slugging percentage and total hits and was in the league’s top 10 in batting average and RBI. His 23 home runs this season is tied for ninth-most in a single season in PBC history and tied for fourth-most in NCAA Division II this season. He is also ranked 12th in DII in runs and 33rd in slugging percentage. Taylor becomes the second Nighthawk to be named the PBC Player of the Year, joining Brian Lauderdale who won in 2006.

Lassiat becomes the second Nighthawk in a row to win the Elite 16 Award, given to the player with the highest cumulative grade point average who is competing in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The league’s award, presented by EAB, models the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award. Nik Levensteins won the award last year, becoming the first baseball player in program history to win the award.

Williams and Arnold each earned second team All-Conference honors as pitchers with Williams a starter and Arnold a reliever.

UNG finishes third in PBC Championshp Thompson earns All Tournament honors

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Evan Thompson earned All-Tournament team honors as the No. 7 University of North Georgia men’s golf team finished third at the Peach Belt Conference Championships Sunday at Sea Palms Resort.

Thompson shot a final round 67 to climb into a tie for fifth, finishing with a 54-hole score of 2-under par. He went 5-under on the front nine, including carding three birdies and an eagle on the seventh, holing out from just over 100 yards.

Stephen Kinsel finished in the top 10, carding a three round total even-par for the weekend to end in a tie for eighth.

The Nighthawks ended with a final round of even-par 284, finishing five shots back of Columbus State who won their first title since 2016 and the seventh in program history. Flagler finished in second with Clayton State and Georgia Southwestern tying for fourth, three shots back of UNG.

North Georgia will now wait to see if they are selected for the NCAA regional as an at-large bid. UNG was fourth in the latest regional rankings.

UNG softball sweeps Georgia Southwestern

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AMERICUS, Ga. – The No. 13 University of North Georgia softball team finished off their fourth straight Peach Belt Conference sweep, taking down Georgia Southwestern, 6-0, Sunday afternoon.

Madison Simmons got things started in the first, blasting a two run homer to take the early lead. North Georgia kept it going in the third inning as the Nighthawks plated two more off a Haley Cummings RBI double and a Hannah Forehand RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-0.

Jolie Lester pushed a fifth run across in the fourth inning off a sacrifice fly before Cummings singled in the sixth to round out the scoring.

NOTES

Kristen Davis (8-2) finished out the series with a five hit shutout, striking out five.

 

– The 13-game winning streak in conference play is the longest since UNG won its final 13 games in league play in 2017.

UNG women’s tennis team wins PBC opener

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DAHLONEGA – The No. 4 University of North Georgia women’s tennis team handed Lander a loss in their Peach Belt opener in a 6-1 win Saturday afternoon.

North Georgia dominated doubles play, winning 6-2 on the top two lines and 6-3 on the third line. Vaishali Jorge and Claudelle Labonté Frey took down the 25th ranked doubles duo nationally to clinch the point.

The Nighthawks continued the momentum into singles play, winning the first five matches to close, all in straight sets. Labonté Frey had the clinching point, winning in a tiebreak in the second set to give North Georgia their third PBC win of the season.

North Georgia will be back on the courts Tuesday in Columbus, Georgia, to take on Southern Arkansas. First serve is set for 3 p.m.

UNG will host women’s NCAA Regional basketball

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DAHLONEGA – For the second straight year, the University of North Georgia will serve as a regional host after the No. 9 Nighthawk women’s basketball team was named the No. 1 seed in the regional Sunday night in the selection show aired on NCAA.com.

North Georgia won the Peach Belt Conference Tournament after earning regular season champion honors a week prior. Earning the automatic bid from the league, North Georgia will play eighth-seeded Columbus State in the opening round Friday inside the UNG Convocation Center.

Lander earned the second seed as an at-large bid, while Peach Belt Conference school Georgia Southwestern earned their first bid in school history as the No. 3 seed. South Atlantic Conference automatic qualifier Carson-Newman earned the No. 5 seed, while SAC schools Wingate and Catawba earned the No. 4 and No. 7 seeds, respectively. Conference Carolinas automatic qualifier Barton rounds out the field as the No. 6 seed.

Tickets will go on sale later this week at UNGAthletics.com/TICKETS. Tickets will be $10 each and must be pre-purchased. Seniors (65+), students and military can purchase a discounted ticket for $7.

North Georgia played host to the NCAA South Regional last year, marking the first time a NCAA basketball regional was contested in the Gold City.

UNG earns share of PBC basketball title

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The No. 10 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team claimed at least a share of the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship and the top seed in next week’s PBC Tournament with a 66-58 win over Augusta Wednesday night.

After trading baskets in the opening minutes, North Georgia took control of the game by going on an 11-2 run midway through the first quarter. The Nighthawks led by six at the break and started the second half on a 9-0 run to lead by 15, 43-28.

Augusta answered late in the third quarter, going on a 15-0 run to tie the game at 47-47, but UNG would pull away in the fourth quarter to claim the win.

NOTES
– It’s the third time in the past five seasons that UNG will be the top seed in the PBC Tournament and the first time since the 2018-19 season.

– Julianne Sutton paced the Nighthawks with a 25 point, 11 rebound double-double. Caroline Martin had 14, while Josie Earnhardt played all 40 minutes, scoring 12.

NEXT UP
North Georgia will honor the senior class Saturday afternoon as they wrap up the regular season with USC Aiken at 1:30 p.m.

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Forehand named PBC Player of the Week

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Hannah Forehand

AUGUSTA, Ga. – University of North Georgia softball player Hannah Forehand was named the Peach Belt Conference’s Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Forehand hit .588 with a 1.294 slugging percentage as the No. 5 Nighthawks went 6-0 over the weekend. The sophomore second baseman had four home runs with 10 RBI and scored eight runs. She went 3-for-3 in the second game against No. 22 Texas A&M Commerce with two home runs in the fourth inning alone, the second a three-run shot, driving in five. She had a homer and two more RBI in the opener against TAMU-Commerce and two more in the first game against Davis & Elkins with a home run. She also made no errors in 13 chances at second base and was 2-for-2 in stolen bases.

Forehand leads the PBC in home runs and is second in slugging percentage, fifth in runs scored, tied for seventh in RBI and is tied for the league lead in fielding percentage.

The Nighthawks will be back in action this weekend at Lander, taking on USC Beaufort and Chowan twice over the two day event.

Kaleb Freeman named PBC Player of the Week

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – University of North Georgia baseball player Kaleb Freeman was named the Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Week Tuesday.

Freeman began his collegiate career by hitting .400 against No. 16 Lee as the Nighthawks took two of three games. The catcher/DH from Flowery Branch, Georgia, went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in his first career game. He was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk in game two and 1-for-4 with another double and an RBI in game three.

Freeman is tied for the conference lead in doubles and is also ranked in the PBC top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage and RBI.

The Nighthawks will be back on the field Friday afternoon to open a three-game series with Mars Hill. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

 

 

UNG picked to win Peach Belt Conference Softball title

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – After picking up the No. 5 spot in the national preseason poll earlier this week, the University of North Georgia softball team has been picked to win the Peach Belt Conference regular season title in the preseason coaches poll, the league announced Thursday. Additionally, Gracie Mixson, Mallory Parker and Olivia Sinquefield were each named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
North Georgia received all seven first-place votes available to them for a maximum 56 points in the coaches poll. Columbus State and Young Harris were tied for second place with 46 points each with Flagler in fourth and Georgia Southwestern in fifth. Augusta, Georgia College, Lander and USC Aiken rounded out the voting.
North Georgia seeks to continue their historic run of success in the Peach Belt. The Nighthawks have won seven straight PBC regular-season championships and seven straight PBC Tournament titles, both the longest such streaks in PBC history. For 2022, UNG will have to contend with the loss of six All-Conference graduates and return a roster with no seniors and two juniors. However, the Nighthawks bring back half of their starting lineup, including two All-Conference performers.
Mixson, a sophomore from Canton, Georgia, was a first-team All-Conference selection at third base in 2021 and was also named to the PBC All-Tournament Team. She hit .364 with five doubles, one home run and 10 RBI in 2021, ranking 10th in the PBC in batting average. Mixson hit .500 in four games at the NCAA National Championship tournament, including a 3-for-3 outing against Biola in the national semifinal round. She was named an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Silver Scholar.
Parker, a sophomore from Kennesaw, Georgia, hit .315 with nine doubles, four triples, two home runs and 22 RBI last season. She tied for second in the PBC in triples and had nine multi-hit games last year, including against Saint Anselm in the NCAA National Championships. Parker also had five RBI against Shorter, the second-most RBI by any player in the PBC in a single game.
Sinquefield, a junior from Phenix City, Alabama, was a second-team All-Conference selection in 2021 after hitting .305 with 10 doubles, two home runs and 30 RBI, stealing 14 bases in 15 attempts as well. She ranked fifth in the PBC in stolen bases, sixth in hits, second in sacrifice bunts; second in putouts and sixth in fielding percentage and also led the PBC in double plays turned. Sinquefield was also named a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Bronze Scholar and named to the Team of Academic Distinction.
North Georgia will open up the season at the Gulf Shores Invitational, starting Saturday, February 5, against Delta State at 4:15 p.m. EST.

Georgia State outlasts Nighthawks, 58-52

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DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia men’s basketball team took a one point lead late in the second half, but Georgia College had the last push as the Bobcats took the Peach Belt opener in a 58-52 win Saturday over the Nighthawks.

After North Georgia hit the opening three pointer of the game to take a 3-0 lead, Georgia College mounted a quick 13 point lead on a 23-5 run to the midway point of the first half. The Bobcat lead hovered in double figures until late in the first half when UNG scored nine of the last 11 points of the period.

The Nighthawks continued to battle, taking a 41-40 lead with just over seven minutes to play, but the Bobcats finished on an 18-11 push, keeping UNG from taking the lead in the final minute to secure the win.

NOTES
– Frank Champion led North Georgia with 16 points, while Giancarlo Bastianoni added 11 off the bench.

– Georgia College hit 11 of their 28 three point attempts.

– North Georgia was 4-for-10 from the free throw line, while Georgia College was 9-for-11.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will look to head into the holiday break on the winning track when they travel to Flagler Friday afternoon for a 4 p.m. tipoff.

UNG announces 2022 baseball schedule

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DAHLONEGA – Coming off a run to the Peach Belt Conference Championship series a year ago, the University of North Georgia baseball team has announced its 2022 slate of games that includes two homestands of 10 or more games.

The season will start with a 14 game homestand that kicks off with a three game set against Lee February 4-6. One weekend later, the Nighthawks will welcome in Mars Hill for the first time since 2011 for a three game series. North Georgia will then play its first ever games against Queens February 18-20 before the first midweek game of the season February 23 against Emmanuel.

North Georgia will continue the homestand February 25-27 against Catawba and wrap up the home stretch against Southern Wesleyan March 1. UNG will open league play on the road at Lander March 4-6 before returning home to take on North Greenville in a midweek showdown March 8.

After a three-game PBC series at Flagler, North Georgia will play 10 straight at Bob Stein Stadium, starting with a midweek matchup against West Georgia March 16 right before a three-game conference series against Georgia Southwestern. The homestand continues with a two game midweek series against Montevallo March 22 and 23 before the Nighthawks welcome Georgia College for a three game set March 25 and 26. Anderson wraps up the two week homestand on March 29.

UNG will take on West Georgia on the road March 30 prior to a three game series at Young Harris to jump start the month of April. The Nighthawks will then play West Florida April 5 and 6, Columbus State April 8-10 and Anderson April 12 all inside the friendly confines of the Steiner.

North Georgia will wrap up the regular season with back-to-back road series against Augusta and USC Aiken before the regular season final series against Claflin in Dahlonega.

Season passes and single game tickets are now on sale on UNGAthletics.com/tickets. Fans can also purchase season passes and/or single game tickets through the HomeTown Ticketing app.

Nighthawks picked to finish 2nd in PBC; Franklin, Sutton named preseason All Conference

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 AUGUSTA, Ga. – The No. 6 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the Peach Belt, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon in its preseason preview. In addition, seniors Abbie Franklin and Julianne Sutton were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.

A senior guard from Homer, Georgia, Franklin is a two-time PBC All-Conference selection, including a first-team All-Conference honor last season. She averaged 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season and was ranked second in the PBC in total assists and 16th in steals. Franklin was also ranked fourth in the league in three-pointers made and sixth in three-point field goal percentage. She has scored over 1,000 career points with over 400 career assists and 150 career steals and is currently sixth on the PBC’s all-time list in career made three-pointers with 217.

A senior forward from Flowery Branch, Georgia, Sutton is a three-time PBC All-Conference selection including first-team All-Conference the last two years. The 2019-20 PBC Player of the Year, she led the team and was ranked sixth in the PBC with 16.1 ppg last season and is currently 12th on the PBC’s all-time scoring list with 1,705 career points. Sutton has scored 20 or more points seven times last year with a season-high 30 against Union in the NCAA Tournament, and she ranked sixth in the PBC in rebounding, second in field goal percentage, eighth in free throw percentage and 15th in blocks.

Joining the two Nighthawks on the Preseason All-Conference team was Flagler’s Tori Pearce and Lander’s Zamiya Passmore and Makaila Cange.

North Georgia was picked second in the preseason poll, claiming three first place votes. Lander was the favorite to win after earning seven first place votes and 79 total points. UNG had 75 points, followed by Clayton State (62), Georgia Southwestern (51) and Augusta (50).

UNG will open the 2021-22 season Friday, November 12, at home against Lees-McRae as part of the Peach Belt/Conference Carolinas Challenge. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.

 

UNG men’s soccer falls to No. 12 Young Harris, 4-1

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YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team fell Wednesday night at No. 12 Young Harris, 4-1, in a Battle of Blood Mountain matchup.

The Mountain Lions wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as they found the net in the fifth minute to take the 1-0 lead. North Georgia answered in the 41st minute off a corner kick from Santiago Gimenez that found the head of Michael Walsh to level the match.

Young Harris responded, scoring with 15 seconds left in the first half and then twice more in the second half to remain undefeated on the year.

NOTES
– Walsh scored the second goal of his career with the first coming against Georgia Southwestern in the spring season.
– North Georgia was able to get just six shots off with the lone shot on goal going in.

NEXT UP
North Georgia returns home after finishing the two match road trip to host Georgia Southwestern Saturday on Youth Soccer Night. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

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