Teams aim for strong spring seasons
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia (ǧÃŬAV) is aiming for another strong spring from its sports programs.
In 2019, the women's tennis team reached the Elite Eight for the first time as the men's tennis team made the NCAA tournament. The softball team won the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) for a sixth straight year and hosted an NCAA regional, and the baseball team earned the No. 1 seed in the PBC tournament.
"Our department is extremely excited about the natural progression of success that all 13 of our programs are making. The spring semester and sports season is a period of renewal and excitement and represents one of the most entertaining times of the year for ǧÃŬAV athletics," said Lindsay Reeves, ǧÃŬAV director of . "We fully anticipate our spring sports continuing the momentum generated by this year's fall and winter sports' successes in competition, the classroom and within the community."
Here is a quick look at each spring team:
Women's tennis: ǧÃŬAV returns six players from a team that made the deepest postseason run in program history, led by juniors , and and sophomore . The Nighthawks earned a program-record 22 victories in 2019.
Softball: Senior pitcher leads a program that will aim for a seventh straight PBC championship. The Nighthawks have reached the NCAA Super Regional round six of the past eight seasons, including a national title in 2015. Fellow seniors and were two of ǧÃŬAV's top hitters in 2019. The Nighthawks face in an exhibition April 5 at the Twin Creeks Softball Complex at JJ Biello Park in Woodstock, Georgia, a matchup that is part of the "Stand Beside Her" tour to prepare Team USA for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Men's tennis: Juniors and lead seven returnees from a team that finished 15-8 and made its sixth NCAA tournament appearance in eight seasons.
Baseball: After ǧÃŬAV tied for the regular-season PBC title in 2019, its third PBC championship in five seasons, the Nighthawks have six seniors and welcome back redshirt junior catcher , who had 23 home runs in 2018 but took a medical redshirt in 2019.
Women's golf: The Nighthawks finished the fall season ranked in a tie for No. 24 nationally. The fall marked the program's first-ever appearances in the national rankings. First-year head coach hopes senior can continue to lead ǧÃŬAV to new heights during the spring.
Men's golf: ǧÃŬAV will aim to build off a fall season in which it finished sixth out of 13 teams at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Preview.
Women's track and field: In the program's fourth year, returns as the 400-meter hurdles PBC champion while was fourth in the 800 meters, fifth in the high jump, and sixth in the 400 meters.
Nighthawks wrap up season in Sweet 16
The ǧÃŬAV women's soccer team fell 2-0 to Columbus State University in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship Dec. 1.
Women's soccer team makes Sweet 16
The ǧÃŬAV women's soccer team punched its ticket to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 with a 1-0 victory against Lander University on Nov. 24.
Nighthawks make NCAA tournament
The ǧÃŬAV women's soccer team has earned the No. 3 seed in the Southeast Region of the NCAA Division II tournament, marking its fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
Basketball teams aim high in 2024-25
The ǧÃŬAV men’s and women’s basketball teams tip off their seasons in early November. Both teams return all-conference performers as they aim for national and PBC supremacy.