2017 SoCon Rifle Championship

2017 SoCon Rifle Championship
March 4-5 • Inouye Marksmanship Center • Charleston, S.C.

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The 2016-17 academic year saw the return of rifle to the Southern Conference, which previously sponsored the sport from 1956-85. The 2017 championship was hosted by The Citadel at its Inouye Marksmanship Center.

North Georgia claimed the 2017 Southern Conference Rifle Championship, turning in an aggregate score of 4564 at The Citadel's Inouye Marksmanship Center with the completion of Sunday's air rifle competition. UNG junior Ruthanne Conner was named the Air Rifle Athlete of the Year and won the league's Pinnacle Award, while The Citadel's William Smith was named the SoCon Coach of the Year, and UAB's Lilly Vonderau was voted the Freshman of the Year.

Georgia Southern edged the Nighthawks for the air rifle team title, firing a 2296 Sunday to best UNG in the discipline by just two points. VMI's Andrew Hickey, who led all shooters after the three relays, went on to win the title in the air rifle individual final. READ MORE

The SoCon boasts a rich rifle history, with The Citadel winning a league-best 10 team titles and VMI claiming two in the league's first incarnation. West Virginia's John Writer, the 1965 and 1966 SoCon individual champion, won a gold medal in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. ETSU became a player on the national scene from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, winning seven straight SoCon titles and placing third in 1980 at the inaugural NCAA Championship. The Bucs finished no worse than fourth at the NCAA tournament each year from 1980-85.