UNG places 4 on Preseason All-Peach Belt Conference Baseball Team
Press Release January 29, 2022
AUGUSTA, Ga. – The University of North Georgia baseball team was picked to finish second in the Peach Belt Preseason Coaches Poll released Friday by the conference office. Additionally, Tim Conway and Crews Taylor were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team as outfielders, while Cade Heil was named a starting pitcher and Nik Levensteins was named the designated hitter.
Columbus State received six first-place votes and 78 total points to take the top spot in the coaches poll, edging out North Georgia by four. Georgia College and Young Harris were tied for third with 60 each while USC Aiken was fifth and Georgia Southwestern sixth. Flagler, Lander, Augusta and Claflin rounded out the voting. North Georgia finished second in the PBC standings in 2021, winning 30 or more games for the sixth year in a row. The Nighthawks also advanced to the championship round of the PBC Tournament for the first time since 2009. Eight seniors return for 2022 with five position players and two weekend starters on the mound.
Conway, a junior from Decatur, Georgia, hit .324 with 13 doubles, nine home runs and 24 RBI, tying for eighth in the PBC in doubles and ranking 10th in base hits. He had nine multi-RBI games, including four against Francis Marion along with 17 multi-hit games with a 4-for-4 effort against Catawba. Conway was named a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Bronze Scholar.
Heil, asenior from Suwanee, Georgia, was a first-team All-Conference selection who was named a PBC Pitcher of the Week and a NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week a year ago. Heil made 14 starts last season with an 8-1 record in 80.2 innings pitched, recording 54 strikeouts, two complete games and one shutout. He was tied for the PBC lead in victories and ranked fourth in the league in innings pitched. Heil earned the recognition of being a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar as well.
Levensteins, a junior from Arvada, Colorado, was named All-American by the ABCA, NCBWA and D2CCA and a first-team All-Conference selection after hitting .338 with 11 doubles, 19 home runs and 62 RBI. He tied for the PBC lead and tied for seventh in NCAA Division II with 62 RBI and also ranked third in the PBC in slugging percentage, seventh in on-base percentage and tied for ninth in runs scored. Levensteins was the winner of the Elite 16 Award in 2021 as well as a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Silver Scholar, PBC Team of Academic Distinction and the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Taylor, a senior from Lawrenceville, Georgia, was a PBC second-team All-Conference selection last season and was also named All-Region by the ABCA and NCBWA as well as an All-Tournament selection. Taylor hit .303 with 15 doubles, 15 home runs and 46 RBI, leading the PBC with 42 walks drawn and was tied for third in doubles, tied for sixth in home runs and ranked 10th in RBI and home runs. Taylor was also named a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Presidential Scholar.
The Nighthawks will open the season one week from today as they play host to No. 16 Lee Friday, February 4, at 4 p.m
Men’s basketball falls to Columbus State, 78-71
Press Release January 24, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – After leading at halftime, the University of North Georgia men’s basketball team saw Columbus State score 46 second half points on their way to a 78-71 win Saturday afternoon.
North Georgia used three first half dunks by Greg Billups, Jr., Malik Hardy and Eric Jones to seize momentum in the first half, taking a 39-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. UNG got another big dunk from Jones early in the second half, but the Cougars went on a 19-4 run from the under-16 to the under-12 media timeouts to take over.
The Cougars did just enough down the stretch to hang on and earn the Peach Belt win.
NOTES
– Frank Champion scored a game high 29 points, while Hardy added 14 to be the only two Nighthawks in double figures.
– The Nighthawks shot nearly 63 percent from the floor in the first half before a 33 percent shooting effort in the second half.
– North Georgia held a 38-18 advantage in the paint.
NEXT UP
UNG will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday when they travel to Young Harris for a 7:30 p.m. Battle of Blood Mountain matchup.
No. 7 women’s basketball blows past Cougs, 85-53
Press Release January 24, 2022
DAHLONEGA – The No. 7 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team hit 12 three pointers as they took care of Columbus State, 85-53, Saturday afternoon.
Leading from start to finish, the Nighthawks jumped out to a 6-0 lead and extended their lead to as many as 12 in the first quarter and 18 by halftime. UNG never took the foot off the gas, storming away to the 32 point win.
NOTES
– Caroline Martin led all scorers with 21 points, while Josie Earnhardt had 19. Julianne Sutton recorded another double-double, scoring 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes of play.
– Abbie Franklin recorded a near triple-double, putting up nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
– UNG was 12-for-28 from three and 17-for-20 from the free throw line.
NEXT UP
North Georgia starts a two-game road swing with a Battle of Blood Mountain matchup at Young Harris Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m.
No. 8 UNG women cruise past Georgia College
Press Release January 16, 2022
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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 8 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team kept its winning streak alive with a 58-38 win over Georgia College on the road Saturday afternoon.
North Georgia led wire-to-wire after Abbie Franklin and Josie Earnhardt hit back-to-back threes to give the Nighthawks a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes of the contest. UNG would open the game on a 13-2 run and stretched the lead to 14 by halftime.
Georgia College responded in the third quarter by trimming the lead to nine with just over five minutes to play in the period, but UNG answered with a quick 8-0 run to extend the lead back out to 17 and cruised from that point to the 20 point win.
NOTES
– Julianne Sutton recorded another double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Earnhardt added 13, while Anna Claire Atha had 10.
– Franklin pulled down a career high 14 rebounds, all coming on the defensive glass.
– Georgia College shot just 24 percent from the floor.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks welcome Flagler to Dahlonega on Monday with tip time scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
UNG men defeat Lander at Convocation Center
Press Release January 10, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – After a sluggish start from both teams, the University of North Georgia men’s basketball team hit the first bucket of the game and never looked back on their way to a 67-59 win over Lander Saturday evening inside the Convocation Center.
Neither team could find the bottom of the net until Frank Champion hit back-to-back layups nearly two minutes into the contest. The Nighthawks continued to extend their lead in the first half, including finishing the period on a 10-0 run to take a 12 point lead to the locker room.
In the second half, North Georgia stretched the lead out to 18 points at 43-25 with just over 14 minutes to play before Lander started to inch back into the game. The Bearcats trimmed the lead down to as few as seven on a few occasions and six with under 30 seconds to play, but UNG held on to improve to 2-2 in league play.
NOTES
– For the second straight game, Eric Jones recorded a double-double, tallying 11 points and 10 rebounds. Champion led the way with 18 points, while Darnell Snyers scored 12 on four made shots from distance. Malik Hardy also claimed double digit points with 10.
– Kody Shubert pulled down 11 rebounds to go with his seven points and seven assists.
– North Georgia earned a +22 rebound margin, not allowing a Lander offensive rebound until the second half.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks hit the road to Clayton State Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Peach Belt play.
UNG women stun No. 3 Lander, 69-68
Press Release January 10, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – The top-15 matchup did not disappoint as the No. 13 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team won an instant classic over No. 3 Lander in the latest chapter of the rivalry, 69-68, Saturday afternoon inside the UNG Convocation Center.
The Nighthawks jumped out to a 10-0 advantage early on and held on to the lead for much of the contest. At one point, UNG held a 34-20 lead midway through the second quarter before the Bearcats started to battle back.
Turning up the heat defensively, Lander inched back before finally taking their first lead of the contest with 5:16 to play at 61-60. With the game going back and forth for the final five minutes, the Bearcats, leading 68-64, surrendered the last five points to North Georgia, putting a seventh straight win on the board for UNG.
NOTES
– Despite fouling out of the game, Julianne Sutton led UNG in the points column, netting 19 points. Caroline Martin added 14, 12 of which came from the charity stripe where she finished the day perfect. Kayla Massop was a rebound short of a double-double off the bench, tallying 11 points and nine boards.
– UNG hit 20 out of their 22 made free throws with both misses coming in the final second of the game.
– The Nighthawks turned 20 Bearcat turnovers into 20 points.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will hit the road for the first time in 2022 with a Wednesday evening trot down to Clayton State. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
Georgia State outlasts Nighthawks, 58-52
Business December 13, 2021
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.
Nighthawks rally to defeat Georgia College,69-56
Press Release December 13, 2021
DAHLONEGA – After trailing at the half, the No. 4 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team saw the offense explode as they outscored Georgia College Saturday afternoon, 69-56, in the Peach Belt Conference opener for both teams.
Georgia College thoroughly controlled the first half of the game, taking an 11 points lead into the locker room at halftime. UNG responded out of the break with a 15-3 run to take their first lead of the contest at the 5:47 mark of the third quarter at 38-37.
North Georgia finished off the third period with a 29-10 period and finished the game by outpacing GC 19-12 in the final period.
NOTES
– Jamari McDavid came off the bench to record a 21 point, 10 rebound double-double. Both were game highs. Caroline Martin also came off the bench to score 17 points.
– After starting 1-for-14 from distance through 20 minutes, North Georgia hit five of their 12 shots from three point range in the second half.
– UNG punished Georgia College off their turnovers, scoring 26 points off 22 Bobcat turnovers.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will play one more conference game before the holiday break, traveling to Flagler on Friday for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
Tusculum upsets No. 4 Nighthawks, 54-38
Press Release December 9, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
GREENEVILLE, Tn. – After a sluggish start, the No. 4 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team clawed all the way back to cut a Tusculum lead to as few as one, but the Nighthawks could get no further in a 54-38 loss on the road Wednesday evening to the Pioneers.
Tusculum jumped out to an 14-2 lead after one quarter and led 22-4 before the Nighthawks stormed back on a 17-0 run to make the Pioneer lead a single point. After the two teams traded buckets, TU went on an 11-0 run to stretch the lead back to double figures where it remained throughout.
NOTES
– The 38 points scored is the lowest total since January 17, 2011, in a 74-35 loss to USC Aiken.
– Jamari McDavid and Tija Blackwell led UNG with eight points each.
– UNG was just 12-for-52 from the floor.
NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will look to bounce back in the Peach Belt opener Saturday at home against Georgia College. Scheduled start time is 1:30 p.m.
AUM defeats Nighthawks, 71-60
Press Release December 9, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia men’s basketball team fell Wednesday night to AUM, 71-60, despite leading by 11 in the second half.
North Georgia and AUM traded the lead throughout much of the first half before the Nighthawks went on an 8-2 run to end the first half and take a 31-26 lead into the locker room. UNG came out in the second half and extended their lead to 39-28 behind another quick 8-2 run.
AUM answered, however, using a game-high 25 points from Isaiah Hart to bolster a 43-21 finish for the Warhawks on their way to the win.
NOTES
– Frank Champion recorded his third consecutive double-double and fifth of his UNG career with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Eric Jones finished a single point shy of his second double-double of the 2021-22 season, adding nine points and 11 boards.
– UNG had 17 offensive rebounds, but could only convert 11 second chance points. AUM had six offensive boards for five second chance points.
– The two teams combined for 35 turnovers.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will welcome Georgia College to the Convocation Center for a 3:30 p.m. tilt Saturday to open league play.
UNG announces 2022 baseball schedule
Press Release December 7, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
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 extend win streak to five
Press Release December 7, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
FORT VALLEY, Ga. – The University of North Georgia men’s basketball team ran away in the second half on their way to a fifth straight win this season, outscoring Fort Valley State, 64-51, Saturday afternoon on the road.
After a back-and-forth first half saw North Georgia up six at the break, the Nighthawks used a 9-0 run to stretch what, at the time, was a three point lead out to 12 midway through the second half. UNG extended their lead even further to as many as 20 on two occasions before the Wildcats worked back to the 13 point final margin with a three at the buzzer.
NOTES
– 10 Nighthawks found their way into the scoring column, led by a 14 point performance from Frank Champion. Champion had 10 rebounds to mark his second straight double-double.
– Blake McIntyre continued his hot shooting, hitting four of his six three point attempts to finish with 12 points.
– The Nighthawks outscored FVSU in the paint, 40-26.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will return home on Wednesday to take on Auburn Montgomery at 7:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
UNG women win 82-79 in overtime
Press Release November 29, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
CARROLLTON, Ga. – The No. 4 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team came from behind to force overtime and then defeated West Georgia, 82-79, Tuesday evening.
After the teams were tied at 32 at halftime, the Wolves opened the second half on a 6-0 run. North Georgia fought back to take a 45-44 lead with 2:34 left in the third, but UWG answered with a 10-2 run to take a seven point lead early in the fourth.
West Georgia led by as many as eight with 4:22 left, but the Nighthawks clawed back to tie the game with 40 seconds left in regulation. Both teams had opportunities to score inside 10 seconds, but neither could, leading to overtime.
After the Nighthawks claimed the early lead in the extra period, West Georgia went on a quick 5-0 run to take a 74-71 lead before UNG finished on an 11-5 stretch to claim the win.
NOTES
– There were 14 lead changes and 16 ties in the game.
– Jamari McDavid led North Georgia with 20 points and nine rebounds. Julianne Sutton scored 17, 12 of which were after the third quarter. Caroline Martin added 16, while Abbie Franklin put up 13.
– With the win, North Georgia takes a 19-18 lead in the all-time series between the two in-state rivals. It’s the first time UNG has led the series since the 1981-82 season.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will have nearly a week between games as they will pick back up with a road trip to Montevallo on Wednesday, December 1, for a 4:30 p.m. tip.
Nighthawks roll past Southern Wesleyan, 80-64
Press Release November 29, 2021
PRESS REEASE
DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia men’s basketball team used an 11-0 start to jump start Saturday’s win over Southern Wesleyan, 80-64.
North Georgia never trailed in the game, leading 11-0, 25-8 and 40-14 at varying points in the first half. Southern Wesleyan fought back in the second half, cutting the lead to as little as 12 at 57-45, but the Nighthawks were too much, using a 12-4 run to stretch the lead back out to a comfortable distance.
NOTES
– Blake McIntyre led North Georgia off the bench with 17 points on five made threes. Kody Shubert put up 16, while Zach Brown had 15 in 19 minutes off the bench. Eric Jones added 10.
– UNG shot 50 percent from the floor (32-of-64) and 10-of-26 from distance.
– The Nighthawks outscored SWU in the paint, 42-14.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will host Toccoa Falls Tuesday at noon on Fifth Graders Day Out.
Sutton, Martin lead No. 4 Nighthawks to 87-71 win
Press Release November 23, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — Four Nighthawks finished in double figures as the No. 5 University of North Georgia women’s basketball team claimed an 87-71 win over Montevallo Saturday afternoon on the final day of the UNG Nighthawk Classic.
Josie Earnhardt hit back-to-back threes to get the game started for UNG, but the Falcons battled back, hitting five of their first seven from beyond the arc to claw back into the game, taking the lead at 19-18 late in the first period. North Georgia answered with a 9-0 run to end the first and start the second, never looking back.
The Nighthawks led by as many as 17 in the second half, but Montevallo trimmed the lead to 70-66 with five minutes to play before UNG finished on a 17-5 run to claim the win.
NOTES
– Julianne Sutton notched her 22nd career double-double with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. Caroline Martin scored 20 points, while Abbie Franklin put up 17. Earnhardt finished with 15 points on five made threes.
– UNG was 12-for-36 from distance.
– North Georgia has not lost a game in the Nighthawk Classic since falling to then-No. 3 Carson-Newman in the 2018 iteration of the tournament.
NEXT UP
UNG will hit the road Tuesday to take on West Georgia. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
UNG knocks off No. 24 Lee
Press Release November 23, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — After No. 24 Lee hit a free throw in the opening moments to take a 1-0 lead, the University of North Georgia men’s basketball team took the lead and held on to it for the rest of the contest as they knocked off the Flames, 75-57, Saturday night to wrap up the Ross Morkem Memorial.
North Georgia used a 6-0 run between the under-16 and under-12 timeouts to break a 4-4 tie and start to pull away from Lee. UNG’s lead remained in single digits for the rest of the first half and into the second when Kody Shubert hit both free throws to push the lead to 10, 44-34.
A 9-0 run by Lee trimmed the lead to just two, 48-46, with 11:19 to play, but UNG responded with a 7-0 run just a few moments later to extend the lead back out to 10 where the Nighthawks saw the game out.
NOTES
– Frank Champion went 14-for-16 from the floor to tally 30 points, a new career high. Evan Hurst added 11 off the bench as he and Champion were the only double digit scorers for UNG.
– The Nighthawks dominated on the inside, outscoring the Flames 54-28 in the paint.
– The win marked the first win over a top-25 team since beating then-No. 21 UNC Pembroke at home on February 17, 2019, by a score of 82-77.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will hit the road to AUM on Tuesday with tip time slated for 8 p.m. EST.