Quartet Of Nighthawks Named To GCAA's 2025 PING All-Region Team
DAHLONEGA – The No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's golf team had four golfers named to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) 2025 NCAA Division II PING All-Region Team Wednesday afternoon.
Graduate student Jack Vajda, seniors Ethan Day and Hughes Threlkeld and sophomore Colby Bennett were among the 19 golfers named to the Southeast All-Region Team Wednesday.
Vajda completed another stellar season in 2025 as he led the Nighthawks in scoring with an average of 71.1 strokes per round. The Canton, Ga. native finished below par in 18 of his 30 rounds this season, posting a team-best five top-5 finishes and three victories.
Vajda posted back-to-back wins in the fall, earning individual medalist honors at UNG's 3rd Annual Mizuno Intercollegiate and the GSW Hurricane Invitational. He finished below par in all six rounds of the two events, winning the Mizuno Invitational at 11-under-par and the Hurricane Invitational at 10-under.
In the most recent 2025 NCAA South/Southeast Regional Tournament, Vajda ascended to the top of the leaderboard again with a 10-under score to put him in a playoff for the individual medalist honors. He won the playoff with a birdie on the first hole to tally his third victory of the season.
This is the second All-Region selection of Vajda's career.
Day was one of the most consistent performers for the Nighthawks this season as tied Vajda for a team-high five top-10 performances on the year. He was second on the team in scoring with a stroke average of 71.36. Day led UNG with 19 rounds under par, six of which came in a pair of second-place finishes at the Bearcat Fall Invitational (11-under) and the GSW Hurricane Invitational (9-under).
Day has now been named to the PING All-Region twice in his career after earning the same honor last season.
Threlkeld made history this season en route to his first career all-region selection.
Threlkeld had three top-10 outings this season and finished the regular-season campaign as a scratch golfer with an average of 72 strokes over 33 rounds. The Savannah, Ga. native made headlines for personal reasons this season when he made his professional debut on the Korn Ferry Tour in the Club Car Championship.
History was made in the final event of the regular season when Threlkeld carded a 10-under par 62 in the final round of the UWF Argonaut Invitational. The eight-birdie, one-eagle round went down as the lowest round in Peach Belt Conference and UNG men's golf history while tying the 29-year Argonaut Invitational tournament record.
In his first full season in the lineup, Bennett was arguably the most consistent Nighthawk of the season. The second-year golfer was third on the team in scoring at 71.45 strokes per round. He posted three top-10 finishes and placed outside the top-20 just once in 11 events when he tied for 21st at the Peach Belt Conference Championship.
Bennett's best tournament of the year came at UWF Argonaut Invitational when he ended the tournament at a career-best 8-under to tie fourth place in the event. Wednesday marks Bennett's first selection to the PING All-Region Team.
This is the first time in program history head coach Bryson Worley's team has had four golfers named to the PING All-Region Team. Despite having four All-Americans last year, only three players made the All-Region Team a season ago.
After posting the second-best 54-hole score in program history and winning the South/Southeast Regional by a stunning 24 strokes, the Nighthawks are poised to make a deep run at the 2025 NCAA DII Men's Golf Championship. UNG looks to improve on its National Runner-Up performance from last year as the tournament begins at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Monday, May 19.
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