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

Press Release

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.

Val Angel leads women’s cross country team to UNG XC Invitational title

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OAKWOOD ­– The University of North Georgia women’s cross country team won both the individual and team title at the 10th Annual UNG XC Invitational. Val Angel, the individual winner, led the Nighthawks to 15-point finish, the best possible score in the event recording a time of 18:53 in the 5K race.

Angel, becomes the first Nighthawk to win the individual event since Brittany Truitt in 2014. The team win is the third consecutive for UNG in the event and marks the seventh time the Nighthawks have won the meet.

Karmen LeRoy and Claire Mills followed with times of 18:57 and 18:58, Emily McBride finished at 19:00 just seven seconds was the difference between the four Nighthawks at the front of the pack. Emery Ryan rounded out the top five runners in the event with a time of 19:19.

North Georgia runners accounted for the first eight individuals to cross the finish line with Devin HelmsAudrey Gleason and Anna Chasteen finishing in sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively.

Sydney Bolyard and Sadie Watson placed 12th and 14th as 10 Nighthawks placed in the top-15 of the event.

UNG Cross Country Invitational set Friday

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OAKWOOD – The University of North Georgia women’s cross country team is set to host the 10th Annual UNG XC Invitational Friday evening on the Gainesville campus at the UNG Cross Country Course. In total, 14 women’s teams and 10 men’s teams will participate in the event.

North Georgia will compete against the likes of Agnes Scott, Albany State, Brenau, Clark Atlanta, Clayton State, Covenant, Life, North Georgia, Piedmont, SCAD Atlanta, Shorter, Welch, Voorhees, and Young Harris in the 5K race.

Clark Atlanta, Clayton State, Covenant, Life, Morehouse, Piedmont, Shorter, Welch, Voorhees, and Young Harris will compete for the 8K men’s title.

UNG has won the event six out of the nine years it has hosted, including last year. Piedmont is the only school on the men’s side to have won the event.

Schedule of Events:
4:30 p.m. – Packet pick up opens & course available for preview
5:30 p.m. – National Anthem
5:35 p.m. – Men report to start line
5:45 p.m. – Men’s 8K race – LIVE RESULTS
6:20 p.m. – Women report to start line
6:30 p.m. – Women’s 5K race – LIVE RESULTS
7:00 p.m. – Awards ceremony

UNG women’s soccer team beats North Greenville

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DAHLONEGA ­– The University of North Georgia women’s soccer team defeated North Greenville 4-1 using a spree of first-half goals at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park. The Nighthawk offense waited an extra hour and 30 minutes due to a delayed start time, but they wasted no time after that, scoring four first-half goals to take a tight hold on the game early.

Cat Watry and Abbie Crane were responsible for three of the first four goals, with Crane scoring in the 12th and 20th minutes. Cat Watry opened up the scoring for UNG, finding the back of the net in the seventh minute and earning an assist on Crane’s second goal of the game 13 minutes later.

Alex Clark added the fourth and final goal for UNG in the 35th minute, getting the assist from Natalie Maguire.

The second half was much less eventful, with just one North Greenville goal in the period. Alexah Fite took advantage of a misplay by the UNG defense and got the Crusaders on the board.

The Nighthawks would not make the same mistake twice and held NGU scoreless for the rest of the contest.

Despite facing 13 shots in the game, Sierra Fowler held the Crusaders in check, for the most part, allowing just one goal in the 60th minute.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•  North Georgia had 21 players get 10+ minutes of playing time in the match.
•  Liv Sullens had three shots in the game and has eight shots overall when coming off the bench this season.
•  Bailey Vessell and Sierra Fowler are the only Nighthawks to have played all 90 minutes in all three games.

NEXT UP

The Nighthawks host 2021 NCAA Tournament participant Lee on Sunday night. This will be the final non-conference matchup before Peach Belt Conference play begins. The Flames are 1-0-1 after tying Cedarville on Saturday.
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Nighthawks men’s soccer ranked 19th

Press Release

DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia men’s soccer team is ranked 19th in the initial United Soccer Coaches poll for the 2022 season. The Nighthawks are ranked second in the Southeast Region and boast a 3-1 record this season.

UNG has won each of its last three matches and has allowed just two goals in their three wins this season. They have scored three goals in their previous three games and are undefeated on the road this season.

The Nighthawks are the only Peach Belt Conference team ranked and hold the highest regional ranking in the conference this season.

This is the first time the Nighthawks have held a ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and it is the highest regional ranking in program history.

UNG heads on the road to face Lander to begin Peach Belt Conference play on Wednesday. After the midweek road trip to Lander, UNG returns to the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park for a home game against Clayton State at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

Lander defeats UNG, 7-1

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GREENWOOD, S.C. – The No. 19 University of North Georgia men’s soccer team fell to Lander, 7-1, in its Peach Belt Conference opener on the road. The Nighthawks fall to 3-2 and 0-1 in league play.

The Bearcats scored early in the game, but the Nighthawks answered in the 19th minute with a heads-up play by Payge Sinclair, who took advantage of a rare miscue by Lander.

The rest of the game was all Lander, and the Nighthawks could not find their footing for the rest of the match.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• 
Sinclair was the lone bright spot for the Nighthawks, scoring their only goal of the game and putting two shots on frame.
• Lander held a 15-6 advantage in shots as the Nighthawks were only able to put three shots on frame.
• The physical game featured 21 combined fouls while the teams combined to give up only three corner kicks.

NEXT UP
UNG will look to bounce back against Clayton State when they host the Lakers on Saturday afternoon at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park. The Lakers fell to USC Aiken on the road in their conference opener.

UNG releases 2022 women’s soccer schedule

Business

DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia women’s soccer team has released its schedule for the 2022 season. The season slate features five programs that received NCAA Tournament bids last season and a road matchup against a newly added member of the Peach Belt Conference.

Faced with a challenging schedule this season, head coach Kayley Ralton believes that the competition will strengthen her team and prepare them for future challenges.

“I truly believe for our players to reach their full potential they need to be challenged as often as possible. By playing the top teams we will learn to face different challenges in every game, ultimately that will make us stronger and much more prepared.”

The Nighthawks open the season with six consecutive home games. The home opener will be against former Peach Belt Conference member UNC Pembroke. UNC Pembroke went 15-5 in their first season as a member of the Conference of Carolinas and received a bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the conference championship. UNG has won the last two meetings between the schools and owns a record of 5-2-1 at home versus the Braves.

UNG’s next two fixtures feature two South Carolina squads when they host Anderson on August 27th for Alumni Day, then North Greenville on the following Wednesday, August 31st, for the second matchup between the two programs all time.

North Georgia has won all eight games versus Anderson, most recently in the 2019 season.

UNG began their series last season against North Greenville when the Nighthawks came away with the road victory 1-0 over the Crusaders.

The Nighthawks will then have one more contest before beginning conference play when they face their second 2021 NCAA Tournament participant of the season in Lee on September 4th for Cancer Awareness Day.

Lee earned the top seed in the South region last season after going 16-0 in the regular season and winning the Gulf South Conference Championship. The programs have played four times, twice in the 2004 season and most recently in 2018.

North Georgia will then move on to Peach Belt Conference play by hosting Georgia Southwestern on September 10th for Military Appreciation Night before renewing their Battle of Blood Mountain Rivalry on September 14th against Young Harris.

The Nighthawks are a combined 29-1 against the two programs, suffering the lone loss on the road at Young Harris in the 2017 season.

A PBC road fixture at 2021 NCAA Tournament selection, Flagler College, followed by the first road non-conference game of the season against Emmanuel College, precede a two-game homestand versus Clayton State on September 24th and Lander University on September 28th for Youth Soccer Night.

UNG owns a 10-4-2 record versus Clayton State since 2010 and has hosted just three matchups since 2012.

North Georgia has dominated the series versus Lander since 2015 winning six of the last seven games. Lander posted a record of 11-5-1 last season and finished second in the Peach Belt Conference regular season standings.

UNG will head on the road for their debut in Bluffton, S.C. for a battle against the newest addition to the Peach Belt Conference, USC Beaufort. This will be the first ever matchup between the two programs.

The Nighthawks will face Albany State on the road before returning to Lynn Cottrell Park for Senior Night and UNG’s regular-season finale versus USC Aiken on October 12th.

North Georgia wraps up the rest of the season on the road with a weekend matchup against Georgia College before ending the season with two straight 2021 NCAA Tournament teams in Lenoir-Rhyne and Columbus State.

Lenoir-Rhyne comes off a run to the Final Four last season falling to eventual National Champion, Grand Valley State, in the semifinals. The two programs met last season as North Georgia defeated the Bears 1-0 on the road.

Columbus State, the reigning Peach Belt Conference Champion, earned the top seed in the Southeast region before falling in the NCAA Tournament to fellow Peach Belt member Flagler.

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

To see the full schedule, visit https://ungathletics.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule

Levensteins named to Academic All-America team

News

LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. — Despite a season-ending injury, Nik Levensteins has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) 2021-22 Academic All-America® team for NCAA Division II.

Levensteins, a junior from Arvada, Colorado, carries a 3.82 cumulative grade point average in Finance. He is the second UNG baseball player to earn a spot on the Academic All-America Team, joining Brian Lauderdale in the 2006 season.

Levensteins belted 11 homeruns and 32 RBI in 34 games.

CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.

Currently, CoSIDA sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program.

Eligible student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average above 3.30, have participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests, completed one calendar year at the nominating institution, reached sophomore athletic eligibility and be nominated by their institution’s sports information director.

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 season ends in NCAA semifinals

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PRESS RELEASE

DENVER – The No. 18 University of North Georgia softball team saw the 2022 season come to a close Sunday night in the national semifinals, falling twice to Cal State Dominguez Hills.

GAME 1 – CSUDH 8, UNG 6
The Toros got on the board first in the top of the second inning, scoring three runs off a pair of RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead. North Georgia answered in the bottom half as Jaycie Michael scored on a wild pitch to cut into the lead.

North Georgia had their big inning in the third as Mallory Parker forced a Toro error that scored a pair of runs to tie the game. Two batters later, Michael came through with a RBI triple and then scored on the throw in to the pitcher to give UNG its first lead of the day. The inning was capped by a RBI groundout that pushed the lead to 6-3.

Cal State Dominguez Hills responded in the fourth, tying the game on a RBI double and RBI single before the Toros scored a pair in the top of the seventh to take game one.

GAME 2 – CSUDH 7, UNG 5
The Toros again struck first, plating a run in the bottom of the first on a RBI single, but the Nighthawks responded with a Madi Perry infield single in the second that tied the game. UNG took the lead in the second inning on a Hannah Forehand sacrifice fly, but CSUDH answered in the fourth, taking the lead on a RBI single before a three-run homer pushed the Toro lead to 6-2.

Georgia Blair started to cut into the lead in the sixth with a two-run blast, but the Toros found another run in the bottom in the sixth off a RBI double, extending the lead to 7-4. North Georgia scored in the seventh on a Forehand RBI single and had the tying run at the plate, but could not push another run across as CSUDH punched their ticket to the championship series starting tomorrow.

NOTES
– North Georgia finishes the season with a record of 49-18, marking the 12th time in the last 14 years with 40+ wins in a season.

– Perry extended her hitting streak to 13 games, going 3-for-6 in the doubleheader.

– The Nighthawks are national semifinalists for the second consecutive year.

 

No. 7 UNG draws Adelphi in NCAA tourney

Business, Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

DAHLONEGA — The University of North Georgia softball team has been tabbed as the No. 7 seed in the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball Championship and will open the tournament Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern against No. 22 Adelphi.

Five of the eight top regional seeds advanced to the championship bracket, including Adelphi out of the East, Rogers State from the Central, Southern Indiana from the Midwest, UT Tyler from the South Central, and Auburn Montgomery out of the South. The Atlantic Regional will be represented by their No. 2 seed, Seton Hall, while the West is represented by the No. 6 seed in Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Nighthawks have played Adelphi three times over the course of the program’s history, most recently on the run to the National Championship in 2015 where North Georgia won in five innings, 8-0, and eliminating the Panthers in the process.

 

UNG beats Lincoln Memorial, 4-1 heads to Denver for NCAA Division II tournament

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DAHLONEGA – Despite losing the first game of the day, the No. 18 University of North Georgia softball team showed their resiliency, grinding out a 4-1 extra innings win over Lincoln Memorial to punch their ticket to Denver and the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball Championship to begin next week.

GAME 1 – LMU 3, UNG 1
Lincoln Memorial did all their damage in the first inning, capitalizing on a pair of hits and a Nighthawk error to score three runs in the frame. Sierra Hucklebee got it started with a single through the left side before McKenzie Henry doubled to score the other two runs.

North Georgia had their opportunities but only broke through once as Jaycie Michael brought home UNG’s lone run of the game in the sixth on a RBI double to left center.

GAME 2 – UNG 4, LMU 1 (8 inn.)
The Railsplitters and Nighthawks traded blows early but neither team found the scoreboard until LMU scratched a run across in the fourth on a Henry single up the middle. North Georgia answered immediately to tie the game up as Haley Cummings singled back where it came from.

After neither team could break through in regulation to end the game, North Georgia finally had the bats wake up in the eighth as Hannah Forehand singled home a run before Michael blasted her first collegiate homer over the right field wall to take a 4-1 lead.

NOTES
– This is the seventh time in program history that North Georgia will advance to the national final site in the NCAA era. It is the first time the Nighthawks have gone in consecutive years since going back-to-back-to-back in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

– Michael went 4-for-6 at the plate on the day.

– UNG is now 2-3 in extra inning games this season.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will open play in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship on Thursday. With Super Regional play extending into Saturday as the Atlantic Regional was washed out on Friday, the remaining eight teams will be reseeded prior to game times being announced over the weekend.

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UNG off to rough start in NCAA Golf Championship

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PRESS RELEASE

 

DEARBORN, Mich. – The No. 4 University of North Georgia men’s golf team fell to 13th place after the second round of the 2022 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championship Tuesday.

North Georgia shot 309 in the second round and is now at 37-over for the tournament. The Nighthawks are 17 shots out of the medal match play portion of the event.

Individually, Grant CrowellEvan Thompson and Stephen Kinsel each shot a round of 4-over 76. Crowell had a second eagle on the week, hitting a three on the par-5 seventh. He is the only player in the field with multiple eagles.

The Nighthawks will look to move up the leaderboard early in the day and put pressure on the teams near the cut line when they tee off starting at 9:20 a.m. Wednesday morning. The top eight teams after Wednesday’s round will advance to the medal match play bracket.

UNG softball named third seed in Southeast Regional

Business, Press Release

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of North Georgia softball team was named the No. 3 seed in the Southeast Regional and will head to Hickory, North Carolina for a Thursday start. North Georgia is the lone Peach Belt school to earn a bid to the postseason as the league’s automatic qualifier.

The Nighthawks will open against sixth-seeded Carson-Newman at Lenoir-Rhyne. The second-seeded Bears will take on Wingate on an opening day.

The regional berth is the 14th straight for North Georgia, having made the postseason in every season since gaining eligibility in Division II.

On the other side of the regional, top-seeded Anderson will host fourth-seeded King, fifth-seeded Lincoln Memorial and eighth-seeded Francis Marion.

Game times will be announced in the coming days. All games will take place at L-R’s Bears Field.

 

UNG opens Southeast Regional, defeats Wingate

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The No. 7 University of North Georgia men’s tennis team opened up Southeast Regional play with a dominant 4-0 win over No. 22 Wingate Monday afternoon at the Flagler Tennis Center.

The Nighthawks pushed out of the gates quickly, winning the doubles point with a pair of wins on the top two lines. Joaquin Benoit and Zach Waldow earned a 6-1 win on the top line, while Ryan Gaskin and Daniel Ostap won 6-3 at No. 2 to clinch the opening point.

North Georgia sped through the singles play as well with Giulio Sassi taking the No. 6 match by a 6-1, 6-4 score to put UNG up, 2-0. After Benoit won, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1, Waldow finished the match with a 6-4, 6-3 win on the third line to push the Nighthawks into the second round.

A trip to Altamonte Springs, Florida, will go to the winner of Tuesday’s 1 p.m. match between North Georgia and No. 6 Flagler.

 

UNG women’s tennis team earns 4th seed in NCAA Southeast Regional

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INDIANAPOLIS – For the fifth year in a row, the University of North Georgia women’s tennis team is in the NCAA Southeast Regional after being named the No. 4 seed on Tuesday night’s selection show by the national office.

North Georgia will make their fifth trip to the postseason in program history and will match up with fifth-seeded Wingate in the opening round to be contested at Columbus State. The winner of the May 6 matchup will take on the top-seeded Cougars the next day.

On the other side of the Southeast, second-seeded Flagler will play host to third-seeded Queens, sixth-seeded Newberry and seventh-seeded Mount Olive.

Each advancing team after the regionals conclude on May 7 will head to the Division II Women’s Tennis National Championship in Altamonte Springs, Florida, May 17-21.

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