The University of North Georgia Nighthawks rifle team achieved its highest ranking in program history following a win against Wofford College.
The rifle team earned a tie for 15th best in the country after the Wofford match, sharing the spot with Georgia Southern University.
Freshman cybersecurity major, Maya Cameron said that the matches are about five hours long and feature a .22 rifle and an air rifle.
The .22 rifle is fired from three positions: kneeling, prone and standing. The air rifle is only fired while standing. Each competitor fires 60 shots with both rifles.
Scoring is awarded by accuracy, the competitors shoot at a 10-point target that is approximately two inches in diameter. Cameron said the players shoot from 50 feet with the .22 rifle and 10 meters with the air rifle.
Cameron also said, “It’s the safest sport there is, there’s no contact.”
For information on the rules of the NCAA Rifle sport, click here. The rifle team has seven matches left on their schedule before the Southern Conference or SoCon Championship, dates can be found on the UNG Athletics rifle page linked here.