STATESBORO, Ga. – UAB secured the team title for a second consecutive year at the 2020 Southern Conference Rifle Championship after the Blazers took the smallbore title. UAB’s Amy Kohan was named the freshman of the year while Eagles’ head coach Sandra Worman and VMI’s Lt. Col. Bill Bither were named co-coaches of the year. North Georgia's Kimberlee Nettles and Georgia Southern's Ashley Judson were named the Co-Air Rifle Athletes of the Year, Wofford’s Dan Wesson won the individual air rifle championship and UAB’s Jordan Blankenship was awarded the pinnacle award.
 
After winning smallbore on Saturday, UAB posted a score of 2286 to give the Blazers an aggregate score of 4539. North Georgia, who finished second, shot a 2296 in air rifle to take first as a team in the discipline, totaling 4539. VMI (4490) finished third overall, followed by The Citadel (4478), Wofford (4445), the VMI women (4415) and The Citadel women (4275).
 
UAB, Georgia Southern and North Georgia all placed two shooters in the air rifle final. Amy Kohan and Lilly Vonderau represented the Blazers, Kimberlee Nettles and Tobin Sanctuary shot for the Nighthawks while Judson and Gabby Morrow were both on the final line for the hosts Georgia Southern. Hunter Jacob (VMI) and Wesson (Wofford) were the final shooters in the final. Wesson ran away with the crown as the individual air rifle champion, winning by 2.8 points over the second-place finisher.
 
Joining Wesson on this year’s air rifle first team is UAB’s Kohan, Vonderau and North Georgia’s Nettles and Sanctuary. Georgia Southern’s Morrow and Judson earned spots on the air rifle second team, along with VMI’s Hunter Jacob and Kelia Aardema. The Citadel’s Alexander McAlear rounded out the second team.

Bither and Worman, who were named co-SoCon coaches of the year, won the award after coaching their teams to regular-season conference records of 5-2 and 3-4, respectively.
 
Kohan, the freshman of the year from Arlington, Virginia, excelled in both disciplines, taking third in the smallbore and second in air rifle.

Blankenship, who finished 12^th overall in the smallbore competition on Saturday, was the Pinnacle Award winner which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team. Blankenship, a sophomore from Trussville, Alabama, is pursuing a major in English literature.

2020 Southern Conference Rifle Championship
Aggregate team scores           SB       AR       Agg.
1. UAB                                      2253     2286     4539                           
2. North Georgia                       2239     2296     4535
3. VMI                                       2213     2277     4490
4. The Citadel                           2205     2273     4478
5. Wofford                                 2206     2239     4445
6. Georgia Southern                 2176     2254     4430
7. VMI-W                                  2164     2251     4415
8. The Citadel-W                      2090     2185     4275
 
Co-Air Rifle Athlete of the Year
Ashley Judson, Georgia Southern
Kimberlee Nettles, North Georgia

Freshman of the Year
Amy Kohan, UAB

Coaches of the Year
Sandra Worman, Georgia Southern
Lt. Col. Bill Bither, VMI

Pinnacle Award (student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team)
Jordan Blankenship, UAB 

All-Southern Conference Air Rifle
First team
1. Dan Wesson, Wofford
2. Amy Kohan, UAB
3. Tobin Sanctuary, North Georgia
4. Kimberlee Nettles, North Georgia
5. Lilly Vonderau, UAB
 
Second team
6. Ashley Judson, Georgia Southern
7. Gabby Morrow, Georgia Southern
8. Hunter Jacob, VMI
9. Kelia Aardema, VMI
10. Alexander McAlear, The Citadel