STATESBORO, Ga. - The No. 18 University of North Georgia (UNG) rifle team opens the 2026 postseason this weekend at the Southern Conference Championship, hosted by Georgia Southern on Feb. 6–7.

UNG enters the conference tournament following a record-setting regular season that featured multiple program milestones across both disciplines. The Nighthawks set a school record in smallbore with a score of 2320 against Army, while also defeating the Black Knights in air rifle for the first time in program history, posting a 2359-2346 victory. UNG capped the performance with a program-best aggregate score of 4679.

Individual highlights punctuated the season, including Ian Lyons' perfect 100 standing score in smallbore against John Jay. The Nighthawks also established a new air rifle school record with a 2367 showing against No. 1 Kentucky, marking the first time in program history that all counting scores landed in the 590s.

UNG will face a strong field at the SoCon Championship, competing against The Citadel, No. 20 UAB, No. 2 Georgia Southern, VMI and Wofford. The two-day championship will feature smallbore on Friday followed by air rifle on Saturday, with team standings determined by combined aggregate scores.

With momentum from a historic regular season and several breakthrough performances, the Nighthawks look to carry that success into conference play as they chase a SoCon title and continue their push toward postseason qualification.