Men's golf team earns first PBC title

The University of North Georgia (UNG) men's golf team maintained the torrid pace it has been on since the fall, swinging its way to history with a dominant Peach Belt Conference (PBC) championship victory April 19-21 at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.  

Ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Nighthawks outdistanced the PBC championship field by 18 strokes to bring home the PBC title for the first time in program history.  

The win secures UNG an automatic spot in the upcoming NCAA Division II tournament, which will begin at the South/Southeast Regional scheduled for May 9-11 at Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Georgia. UNG is hosting the regional. From there, the top five teams advance to the May 21-25 NCAA Championship at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden, Florida.   

"I look forward to watching our players compete in one of the most stressful events in college athletics — the NCAA golf regionals. There is finality to it — only five teams move onto the national championship," head coach Bryson Worley said. "This team cares for each other, and it's fun to watch them compete for each other in high-pressure situations." 

At 18-under-par, UNG broke the PBC Championship 54-hole record with a team overall score of 846 to break through after a second-place PBC finish in 2023 and a third-place standing in 2022. The team broke USC Aiken's record of 852 strokes set back in 2005. 

"The entire process of building a team that can compete at the national level has been satisfying," Worley said. "Winning the program's first PBC championship was special, and we look forward to making contending for titles the norm in Dahlonega." 

Graduate student Jack Vajda made history with his performance in the tournament, both within the UNG and PBC championship ranks. With a final-round, even-par 72 on April 21, Vajda ran away with the tournament and earned individual medalist honors at 12-under-par, finishing five shots ahead of the next-closest competitor.  

Vajda's wire-to-wire win and 54-hole score of 206 strokes is the second-lowest individual score in tournament history. It is also the second-lowest 54-hole score in UNG men's golf history, one stroke shy of junior Ethan Day's performance at the 2023 Cateechee Fall Invitational.  

Vajda was the lone Nighthawk named to the 2024 PBC Championship All-Tournament Team. The win comes as his second of the season and his sixth top-10 finish as he led the Nighthawks in both categories this season.  

Following behind Vajda were juniors Hughes Threlkeld and Day. The pair each finished in the top 10 of the championship as Threlkeld's 2-over 74 round on Sunday landed him alone in sixth place in the event. Threlkeld tallied a 4-under tournament score of 212 and his second top-10 finish of the season. 

At tied for 10th, Day used a 1-under final-round 71 for a total weekend score of 1-under 215, marking his third top-10 finish of his junior campaign.  

Graduate student Will Chambless followed two strokes behind to tie for 14th overall at 1-over 217. 

Rounding out the individual performances for the Nighthawks was sophomore Hunter Smith, who finished tied for 20th overall with a 54-hole score of 220.

The women's golf team, ranked No. 23 nationally, finished in second place at the 2024 PBC women's golf championship, also held at Forest Hills Golf Club. At 36-over-par, the Nighthawks finished 11 shots behind No. 2 Flagler, the tournament winner, at 25-over.  

Head coach Sierra Campbell's team saw three golfers finish in the top 10, led by freshman Abby Franks, who finished the tournament 8-over-par in sixth place.  

Junior Ellie Rippee followed two shots and two places behind Franks, and junior Jadin Ware tied for ninth at 9-over-par. 

Graduate student Amari Smith followed at tied for 13th at 13-over, while senior Danielle Humphrey finished tied for 16th at 15-over. 

As a team, the second-place finish marks the second time the Nighthawks have finished that high in the PBC championship in program history. It also serves as the team's third top-three finish in the last four years.  

"I am immensely proud of these ladies and their ability to always fight to the end. Their response in the final two rounds to a slow start on day one was not only an example of their grit but also of their drive to play well for one another," Campbell said. "They did not go down without a fight, and they always refuse to give in. I am honored to coach each one of them and grateful that they are all on this journey together."