Tennis teams reach NCAA tournament
Both University of North Georgia (UNG) tennis teams have earned berths in the NCAA Division II tournament. It is the women's ninth consecutive NCAA bid and the men's seventh in a row.
The women's team, ranked No. 16 nationally, earned the No. 4 seed in the Southeast Regional and will face No. 5 seed Lenoir-Rhyne in the first round on May 8 in Salisbury, North Carolina. If they advance to the second round, the Nighthawks will face the winner between No. 1 seed Catawba and No. 8 seed Erskine.
UNG is 16-7 overall and went 5-2 in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play before reaching the PBC semifinals under the direction of head coach Kent Norsworthy.
North Georgia has been powered by a strong singles lineup throughout the season, led by PBC Freshman of the Year Olesya Stokusova. Stokusova is ranked No. 40 nationally in singles and earned first-team All-PBC honors. Teammate Anastasiia Opolska, ranked No. 19 nationally in singles, also garnered first-team All-PBC recognition.
The duo of Opolska and Stokusova has been equally effective in doubles play, earning a No. 25 national ranking. Sofia Giraldo added to the Nighthawks' postseason honors with a second-team All-PBC selection in singles.
Two teams from the regional in Salisbury will advance to the NCAA Division II women's tennis championship in Surprise, Arizona.
Ranked No. 15 nationally, the UNG's men's tennis team (13-8 overall, 4-2 PBC) is the No. 4 seed in its Southeast Regional and opens the NCAA tournament May 11 against No. 5 seed Wingate in Salisbury, North Carolina, in Justin Miles' first season as head coach. If they win the first-round match, the Nighthawks would face No. 1 seed Catawba or No. 8 seed Mount Olive in the second round.
North Georgia placed multiple players on the All-PBC teams, highlighted by Pedro Liborio and João Luis Silva, who each earned first-team honors in singles. In doubles play, the tandem of Juan Cruz Blanco and Ben Brandl secured second-team All-PBC recognition.
The Nighthawks have found consistent success against Wingate, holding a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series. UNG claimed a 4-3 victory in the most recent meeting during last season's NCAA Southeast Regional.
Two teams from the regional in Salisbury will advance to the NCAA Division II men's tennis championship in Surprise, Arizona.
Baseball team rolls into PBC title series
The UNG baseball team won three games by a combined 32-4 score to start the PBC tournament and reach the best-of-three championship series May 8-9 against Lander.
Softball team earns PBC regular-season title
The UNG softball team used a late-season surge to earn its 12th consecutive Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship and will host the PBC tournament May 8-10.
Baseball team wins PBC regular-season title
The UNG baseball team has won its first outright Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship since 2017 and opens the PBC tournament May 1 against Middle Georgia.