HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. – The No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's golf team exploded for a 15-under par round on the second day of the 2025 NCAA South/Southeast Regional Tournament at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. on Friday.

With all four scoring Nighthawks recording a sub-70 round, UNG posted the third-best 18-hole score in program history. 

It came on a day in which the 7,015-yard, par-72 course caused challenges for the rest of the 20-team regional field which is home to 15 of the nation's top-25 teams.

Only three other programs recorded a sub-par score on Friday, none of which were better than 5-under. The Nighthawks bettered that by 12 shots on the back nine alone. 

They currently lead the field by nine shots overall ahead of No. 14 Wingate at 7-under. No. 9 Florida Southern stands in third at 5-under while No. 13 Columbus State trails in fourth place at 3-under.

Senior Hughes Threlkeld was the first to tee off at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. He set the tone with a 4-under-par 68 that included five birdies and zero bogeys on the back nine. Friday marked Threlkeld's eighth round this season with less than 70 strokes.

A few groups behind Threlkeld was junior Hunter Smith. After a 2-over 74 on day one, Smith stood in 50th place on the individual leaderboard. He climbed a whopping 40 spots on Friday with a 4-under 68. Smith, like Threlkeld, dominated the back nine with no bogeys and five birdies on the last seven holes of the day. 

After Smith came graduate student Jack Vajda. The reigning individual medalist in the 2024 South/Southeast Regional did not record a bogey Friday until the 14th hole. Vajda then quickly rebounded with back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 to aid a 4-under 68 of his own. 

Senior Ethan Day finished the unbelievable outing for the Nighthawks with the only bogey-free round of the day as he shot a clean 69 Friday. 

Friday's second round marked just the third time this season and the first time since Sep. 24 UNG posted a round in which four or more golfers shot below 70. 

The Nighthawks tore up the back nine at Mission Inn Resort on Friday. Adding sophomore Colby Bennett's score, UNG combined to shoot 13-under on the back nine alone. Between the five golfers, only one bogey was recorded on the last nine holes. 

The top four scoring Nighthawks through 36 holes currently sit in the top 12 of the individual leaderboard heading into Saturday's final round. 

Vajda and Day are tied in fourth place at 5-under for the tournament. Threlkeld sits two strokes behind in seventh place at 3-under as Smith brings up the rear in 12th place with a 2-under total. 

UNG will tee off in the final grouping Saturday, May 9 as the last Nighthawks will take the course at 1:20 p.m.

UNG is in search of its fifth consecutive appearance at the NCAA National Championship. A top-seven finish on Saturday will send the Nighthawks to the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, May 19-23 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. where they will look to improve a National Championship Runner-Up finish from a season ago.