Esports team takes second place nationally
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) Esports team finished second in the Local Area Network event at the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) during the spring semester in San Antonio, Texas. That success followed Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Halo national title in fall 2024.
Team members for the spring national runner-up group from Â鶹ÊÓƵ were Nicholas Flynn, Wyatt Gowan, Clayton Poore, Dalton Ragon, and Jay Turner.
Flynn, a sophomore from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, was grateful to be able to travel to Texas to compete. The Esports program has been a meaningful experience for him in a variety of ways.
"It's a lot of fun. You get to meet a ton of people. I've made a bunch of friends doing it," Flynn said. "It's up and coming. It's only getting bigger. There are more and more opportunities for people to play and hopefully win."
Poore, a senior from Dahlonega, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science, has appreciated the way Esports has helped him gain "friends I will have for a long time" after enrolling in Â鶹ÊÓƵ at age 14 and trying to find his footing socially. He has been one of the driving forces behind the program's growth.
"I've really enjoyed seeing where Â鶹ÊÓƵ Esports has come from where we were," Poore said. "The support of Â鶹ÊÓƵ means everything to me."
Nathaniel Hehl, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Esports supervisor, said both the conference and the competition were beneficial at NECC.
"We made a lot of great connections," Hehl said. "This has been our most successful school year thus far for the Esports program at Â鶹ÊÓƵ."
Student's persistence lands internship
Connor Christian didn't let one setback keep him from trying again. Instead, the Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior kept working, got creative and earned an internship at Publix's corporate office.
Smith preps to play in U.S. Amateur
Fresh off his individual NCAA Division II men's golf national championship in May, Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Hunter Smith is playing in the U.S. Amateur, which is Aug. 11-17 in San Francisco.
McGill shines at Air Assault School
Â鶹ÊÓƵ cadet and women's soccer student-athlete Grace McGill recently completed Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She led the 40 cadets who took part in the program.