DAHLONEGA – University of North Georgia (UNG) men's golf coach Bryson Worley was named the 2025 Golf Pride Grips NCAA Division II Southeast Region Coach of the Year as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Tuesday afternoon.

Worley, a finalist for the 2025 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year and the 2024 recipient of said award, has now been named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year in four consecutive seasons.

The seventh-year head coach and director of golf led the Nighthawks to yet another outstanding campaign in 2025.

UNG posted four victories in the 2025 campaign and finished outside of the top 3 just three times in 12 events during the season.

After a historic, 24-stroke victory at the 2025 NCAA South/Southeast Regional, the Nighthawks punched their ticket to the NCAA DII Men's Golf Championship for the fourth consecutive season. 

At PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the Nighthawks tallied the fourth National Championship in school history as junior Hunter Smith won individual medalist honors in stroke play, crowning himself the 2025 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Individual National Champion.

As a team UNG would go on to finish as a National Semifinalist in the medal match play portion of the event, ending its season one match short of the National Championship in a loss to No. 1 Colorado Christian.

Worley's team was highlighted by four PING All-Region selections this year in graduate student Jack Vajda, seniors Ethan Day and Hughes Threlkeld and sophomore Colby Bennett. 2025 marks the first time in program history the Nighthawks have had four all-region selections in one season.

Smith was automatically named a GCAA All-American after his National Championship victory. 

Worley has led UNG to an astounding .600 winning percentage in the last two seasons with finishes as National Runner-Up and Semifinalist in back-to-back years. 

Tuesday's accolade adds to Worley's impressive trove of coach of the year honors having been named a four-time-running PBC and Southeast Region Coach of the Year and the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year last season. He continues to build UNG golf into one of the top programs in the country.