DAHLONEGA – The No. 19 University of North Georgia (UNG) rifle team celebrated Senior Day Sunday morning in a 4694-4621 loss to No. 3 Kentucky at the COL Raymond C. Hamilton Rifle Range.

The Nighthawks paired a team total of 2279 in Smallbore and 2342 in Air Rifle to post a 4621 aggregate score in the loss to the Wildcats.

Junior Maya Cameron was the top shooter for UNG, finishing fifth on the overall leaderboard with an aggregate score of 1,163. She led the Nighthawks in Smallbore with 574 points while hitting the center of the target a team best 26 times. 

In Air Rifle, it was Cameron and freshman Brianna Walter who tied to lead UNG with 589 points each. Sophomore Corbin Jockers followed closely behind with a personal best 587 as he led the team with 39 centers hit in the discipline.

Walter combined her 589 in Air Rifle with a 573 in Smallbore to post an aggregate score of 1,162 points, good enough for sixth place overall. Jockers followed closely behind with an aggregate score of 1,159 points as he came in seventh on the leaderboard.

Sophomores Courtney Allison and Abby Swain rounded out the scoring for UNG with aggregate scores of 1,135 and 1,128 respectively. 

After the match was completed, the Nighthawks gathered outside the COL Raymond C. Hamilton Rifle Range for a Senior Day celebration as they honored the lone senior on the team, Lindsey Slaten.

Friends, family members and teammates all joined together for a cookout and celebration to honor Slaten. The senior from Kennesaw, Ga. has been a key member of the UNG rifle program over the last four years. 

Slaten proudly represented her team in the range and in the classroom during her time in Dahlonega. In each of the last three years she was named to the Southern Conference Honor Roll and in the last two years earned Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) Scholastic All-American status. 

In 2023 Slaten earned the Southern Conference Commissioner's Medal and was named to the Academic All-Conference Team in 2024. 

Slaten finished her career with personal records of 544 in Smallbore and 570 in Air Rifle. 

The Nighthawks now look ahead on the schedule to their second matchup of the season against Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) on Saturday, Feb. 1. The match takes place in Milledgeville, Ga. after UNG topped the Blazers 4618-4559 earlier this season back on Jan. 17.