STATESBORO, Ga. – One day after finishing in sixth place in the smallbore, freshman
Soraya Sar earned SoCon Freshman of the Year honors at the Southern Conference Rifle Championships in Statesboro.
The VMI Mixed Team stepped up big in the air rifle, placing third with a score of 2,330 while the Women's Team finished seventh. Overall, the Mixed Team finished fourth with a score of 4,563 and the Women's Team fifth with a score of 4,560.
While it marks the second consecutive year with a 4-5 finish, the men's team increased its aggregate by 22 points and the women's by 58.
Overall, host Georgia Southern claimed its fifth straight title, setting a new record in the process.
Individually,
Alexander Pohlman's big score of 587 in the air moved him up to eighth place overall (1162), while Darien Tweedell (585) and
Wuyue Xie (582) finished 13
th and 16
th respectively. Xie's
efforts led her to the second-best aggregate for VMI, shooting a 1156.
To view the SoCon release, click
here.
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
