By Gil Pound 

G eorgia College & State University men’s flag football continued its dynasty last week, winning a third NIRSA national championship in the last four years and fourth since 2019. 

Georgia College sent 13 men and a team of women to the NIRSA (National Intramural-Recreation Sports Association) national championships held Jan. 7-9 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Punching well above its weight class in terms of enrollment numbers, the GCSU men went undefeated through pool and bracket play to bring home the title. 

Marcus Prestwood – a recent GCSU undergraduate alum on the Double Bobcat Pathway – has been a core member of each of the university’s last three extramural national championships. 

“We’ve graduated a lot of guys the last couple of years, so there’s been a lot of flow in and out,” said Prestwood, a Milledgeville native in the graduate management information systems program. “This year we picked up a few guys we felt like we could trust. All the pieces bought in. We got to the point we were playing really well together.”

The national championship came with a little bit of redemption. The team came up short at the regional tournament in November before showing up when it mattered most. After giving up 34 and 48 points to North Carolina State University at regionals, the Georgia College men clamped down on defense to hold the NC State team to 32 points across two meetings at nationals, including just 13 points in what was a rainy championship matchup. 

“Better to be wet and sweaty with a championship than wet and sweaty without a championship,” Prestwood said. “I’m proud of this team and I appreciate Georgia College for sending us here. It’s great getting the support to go out to these places and compete.” 

Prestwood was one of three GCSU players to be named a NIRSA All-American. He was joined by tournament MVP Andrew Oliver, a junior accounting major from Sandy Springs, Georgia, and Nash Darley, a senior from Dublin, Georgia, majoring in history. 

“We are very proud of our men’s and women’s flag football teams, both of which represented GCSU extremely well with the men winning the national championship for the fourth time in six years and the women advancing to the quarterfinals,” said Dr. Dan Nadler, Georgia College vice president for Student Life and interim dean of students. “Many thanks to our Wellness & Recreation staff for investing in our students and making all of this possible.”

Intramurals are different here 

Georgia College’s consistent success on the national stage is born out of the university’s wildly popular Intramurals program. Overseen by GCSU Wellness & Recreation, there are over 90 intramural leagues on campus with nearly one in three students participating. 

“For the size school we are, we are fortunate kids can meet each other, put together teams and stick together from their freshman year until they graduate,” said Nolan Baugh, associate director of Wellness & Recreation. “Once they get plugged in and involved, they start to find their groove and their friends. It gives them a sense of belonging and friendship out there at the fields, making their overall experience better. We try to organize it to where every time they come play an intramural game it’s the most fun part of their day.”