SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its January rifle athletes of the month Thursday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month. North Georgia's Kimberlee Nettles won Smallbore Shooter of the Month for the third time, while Georgia Southern's Ashley Judson won Air Rifle Shooter of the Month for the second time.

SMALLBORE

North Georgia's Kimberlee Nettles earned her third straight Smallbore Shooter of the Month honor this season after posting a score of 586 in the Nighthawks' lone match of the month against conference opponent UAB, No. 1 Kentucky, No. 6 Memphis, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 9 Murray State, No. 12 NC State and No. 16 Jacksonville State. Her aggregate score of 1167 on Jan. 22 was a personal best, as she now holds the top three aggregate performances in the conference. The Waycross, Georgia, native leads the conference in smallbore (574.4), air rifle (585.8) and aggregate (1161.2) averages.

Others nominated: Bella Gamez (Georgia Southern).

AIR RIFLE

Ashley Judson, the 2019-20 SoCon Air Rifle Co-Athlete of the Year, received her second air rifle monthly honor of the 2020-21 season after the November award. Judson competed in one air rifle match during January against The Citadel's co-ed and women's teams. The Acworth, Georgia, native led the way against the Bulldogs with a career-best 589 on Jan. 31 to take home gold. Her performance on Sunday is the second-highest air rifle score in the conference and just one point shy of the league's air rifle leader, Amy Kohan of UAB (590). Judson finished the day with a first-place aggregate score of 1153 as the Eagles picked up a pair of wins over The Citadel. The sophomore holds the conference's fourth-highest air rifle average (583.29) throughout Georgia Southern's seven matches, as the Eagles prepare for the 2021 SoCon Rifle Championship.

Others nominated: Jaden-Ann Fraser (UNG).