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The University of North Georgia (sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú) 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 sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's Halo national title in fall 2024.

Team members for the spring national runner-up group from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú 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 sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú 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 sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú Esports has come from where we were," Poore said. "The support of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú means everything to me."

Nathaniel Hehl, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú 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 sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú."