No. 6 Georgia Southern Rolls To Fifth-Straight SoCon Rifle Crown

Final: NCAA Scorecard

STATESBORO, GA – Sixth-ranked Georgia Southern set a new championship record with an aggregate score of 4,727 Saturday to win its fifth SoCon Rifle Championship in a row.

The Eagles are the first team to win five in a row since the SoCon resumed sponsorship of the sport in 2017. It is the second-longest streak overall since ETSU won eight team championships in a row from 1979-1986.

Georgia Southern secured its overall championship with a win in Air Rifle Saturday, narrowly missing the SoCon Championship record by two points with a final score of 2,382. Emme Walrath posted a 598 in the air rifle relays, pushing her two-day individual aggregate score to 1,188 – establishing a new record for a SoCon Rifle Championship weekend. Her efforts edged the previous record of 1,186, set last season by teammate Bremen Butler.

North Georgia earned the runner-up trophy with an aggregate score of 4,658, with UAB (4,601) finishing third.

Walrath, who won Friday’s smallbore championship, continued her dominance with an individual air rifle championship Saturday afternoon. She held off a challenge from North Georgia’s Abby Swain, firing a 249.5 to Swain’s 247.3. Georgia Southern’s Tori Watts took home bronze with a score of 227.0.

Walrath added to her strong season with the SoCon Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the title winning team. The Kenosha, WI, sophomore carries a 3.93 cumulative GPA in biology.

VMI’s Soraya Sar (San Antonio, Texas) and Wofford’s Sam Nickless (Fairfax, VA) were named Co-Freshmen of the Year following Saturday’s competition. Sar finished sixth in the smallbore finals on Friday and Nickless took home seventh in Saturday’s air rifle finals. Wofford head coach Seth Flanagan was named SoCon Coach of the Year.

The Southern Conference will announce its 2025-26 All-Conference teams and Athlete of the Year awards in air rifle and smallbore on February 24 following the conclusion of the regular season.

Georgia Southern is set to compete next weekend in Charleston, SC, against UAB, Navy and The Citadel before an NCAA Qualifier in Lexington, KY, on February 21. North Georgia and UAB will also compete on February 21 to wrap up their regular seasons.

2026 SoCon Rifle Championship Aggregate Team Scores

Points (Centers)

1. Georgia Southern – 4,727 (339) – New Championship Record

2. North Georgia – 4,658 (260)

3. UAB – 4,601 (223)

4. VMI – 4,563 (209)

5. VMI (W) – 4,560 (205)

6. Wofford – 4,545 (203)

7. The Citadel – 4,538 (211)

8. The Citadel (W) – 4,424 (151)

2026 SoCon Rifle Championship Air Rifle Team Scores

Points (Centers)

1. Georgia Southern – 2,382 (192)

2. North Georgia – 2,354 (155)

3. VMI – 2,330 (136)

4. Wofford – 2,324 (128)

5. UAB – 2,319 (127)

6. The Citadel – 2,317 (139)

7. VMI (W) – 2,307 (123)

8. The Citadel (W) – 2,249 (91)

2026 SoCon Rifle Championship Smallbore Team Scores

Points (Centers)

1. Georgia Southern - 2,345 (147) – New Championship Record

2. North Georgia - 2,304 (105)

3. UAB - 2,282 (96)

4. VMI (W) - 2,253 (82)

5. VMI - 2,233 (73)

6. Wofford - 2,221 (75)

7. The Citadel - 2,221 (72)

8. The Citadel (W) - 2,175 (60)

Smallbore Individual Champion

Emme Walrath, So., Georgia Southern (Kenosha, WI)

2026 SoCon Rifle Championship Smallbore Individual Finals

1. – Emme Walrath, Georgia Southern (459.1)

2. – Breman Butler, Georgia Southern (453.4)

3. – Emma Pohlmann, Georgia Southern (442.4)

4. – Bri Walter, North Georgia (431.0)

5. – Zahra Gonzalez Mazo, Georgia Southern (418.7)

6. – Soraya Sar, VMI (403.6)

7. – Corbin Jockers, North Georgia (394.9)

8. – Tori Watts, Georgia Southern (387.5)

Air Rifle Individual Champion

Emme Walrath, So., Georgia Southern (Kenosha, WI)

2026 SoCon Rifle Championship Air Rifle Individual Finals

1. – Emme Walrath, Georgia Southern (249.5)

2. – Abby Swain, North Georgia (247.3)

3. – Tori Watts, Georgia Southern (227.0)

4. – Bremen Butler, Georgia Southern (203.2)

5. – Corbin Jockers, North Georgia (181.3)

6. – Emma Pohlmann, Georgia Southern (162.8)

7. – Sam Nickless, Wofford (141.2)

8. – Piper Wentland, UAB (120.8)

2026 Pinnacle Award

Emme Walrath, So., Georgia Southern (Kenosha, WI) – 3.93 / Biology

Co-Freshmen of the Year

Sam Nickless, Fr., Wofford (Fairfax, VA)

Soraya Sar, Fr., VMI (San Antonio, TX)

Coach of the Year

Seth Flanagan, Wofford