UNCG Men’s Golf Head Coach Terrance Stewart will look to lead the Spartans in the 2025-26 season for his 25th year.
In his 24 seasons leading the program, Stewart has been named SoCon Coach of the Year twice, while seeing a SoCon Player of the Year once, SoCon Freshman of the Year seven times, 41 SoCon Golfer of the Weeks, two All-Americans and 11 SoCon Golfer of the Months. UNCG has been one of the top teams in The Southern Conference over the last decade, finishing fifth place or better each season. The Spartans have captured three Team SoCon Championships in 2015, 2018 and 2019 along with five Individual SoCon Championships in 2007, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2025. The Spartans have also finished runner-up in the SoCon seven times since 2004. The program has secured eight At-large bids during Stewart’s reign as well, while having picked up 35 All-Southern Conference selections during Stewart’s tenure.
Stewart led senior Colin Dutton to claim first place in the 2025 SoCon Championships on April 22 to earn an automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Regionals, marking the third time in UNCG program history an individual Spartan was named the SoCon Champion. As a team, the Spartans finished in second place in the 2025 SoCon Championships with an overall score of 18-under-par (846) behind rounds of 277-285-284. UNCG carded four first-place finishes in the 2024-25 season, making it the first time in UNCG men's golf program history the team has collected four regular season tournament wins. In addition, Stewart led the squad to five SoCon Golfer of the Week recognitions for a new season high in UNCG program history.
During the 2023-24 season, Stewart made UNCG Division I program history by leading Kelvin Hernandez to the NCAA Championships as an individual. After the team received another At-large bid to an NCAA Regional, Hernandez finished as the top individual not on advancing team to become the first Spartan to compete in the NCAA Championships in the Division I era. During the regular season, Stewart led the team to two regular season wins along with eight top-five finishes. Stewart saw three SoCon Golfers of the Week, two on the All-SoCon Team and Hernandez named Freshman of the Year and to the All-Freshman Team.
The Spartans picked up two team titles during the 2019-20 season, including four individual titles. Of those four individual crowns two came from Jonathan Brightwell who ranked No. 13 in the nation at the end of the COVID-shortened season. Brightwell became the first Spartan in history to receive All-American status at the Division I level and was also selected to the Haskins Award Watch List. He earned SoCon Player of the Month twice and SoCon Player of the Week three times, in the 2019-20 season alone. The Spartans finished the season ranked No. 53 in the country by Golfweek.
The Spartans had a historic season in 2018-19, as UNCG won a program-record four tournaments including a second-straight SoCon Champion when the Spartans won by 12 strokes over ETSU before participating in the NCAA Stanford Regional, finishing in 11th place after leading most of the first round. Along with a SoCon Championship, the Spartans also won two home tournaments under Stewart’s direction (UNCG Grandover Collegiate and UNCG Martin Downs Collegiate) along with the Irish Creek Intercollegiate. Bryce Hendrix, Jonathan Brightwell and Nick Lyerly were all named to the All-SoCon Team while Hendrix and Lyerly both took home individual championships during various tournaments during the year.
During the 2017-18 season, the Spartans claimed their first-ever outright SoCon Championship when they shot an 18-over par 882 (297-285-300) at Pinehurst No. 9 in route to an appearance in the NCAA Stockton Regional where UNCG finished in 10th place. Stewart was named SoCon Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach in program history to earn the honor, as the Spartans had three players selected to the all-conference team for the second year in a row. Additionally, freshman Nick Lyerly was named SoCon Freshman of the Year as he became just the second golfer in program history to win the SoCon Individual Championship at four-under 212 (73-70-69).
In 2016-17, the Spartans posted their third straight second-place finish at the SoCon Championships and placed three in the top five of the individual standings for the first time in program history. Freshman Jonathan Brightwell tied for the individual SoCon Championship at the SoCon Championships and became the fourth UNCG SoCon Freshman of the Year in the last five seasons. Junior Josh Stockwell and sophomore Bryce Hendrix tied for fifth overall at the SoCon Championships. Additionally, Brightwell, Stockwell and Hendrix all earned First Team All-SoCon honors, giving UNCG three All-SoCon players in the same season for the first time in program history.
In 2016, the Spartans finished second overall at the 2016 SoCon Championships in Pinehurst, finishing just one shot out of the top spot. Junior Jake McGlone and senior Taylor Coalson earned All-SoCon accolades while Bryce Hendrix was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year. McGlone became the second UNCG golfer to earn an at-large bid as an individual into the NCAA Tournament, appearing in the Franklin Regional hosted by Nashville.
In 2015, the Spartans captured their first SoCon Championship, as they tied ETSU but fell in the first team playoff hole and narrowly missed out on an NCAA At-Large bid.
The 2014 season was the best season in UNCG men’s golf history as the Spartans finished third in the SoCon Championships and received a team at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, the first team bid in program history. UNCG travelled to Auburn University Club and finished seventh overall in the regional, just two strokes out of a top-five showing, which advances to the NCAA National Championships.
Additionally, the Spartans placed three members on the All-SoCon team in 2014 as freshman Carter Jenkins, sophomore Taylor Coalson and junior Roy Dixon picked up the honors. Jenkins was also named the SoCon Freshman of the Year, marking the second straight season UNCG has been honored after Coalson won the accolades in 2013.
The 2011 SoCon Championships saw the Spartans post their best team finish as tournament runner-up just five strokes off the pace. Will Almand led UNCG with a 2-under par fourth place finish while Kyle Sonday (8th), Robert Hoadley (15th) and Andy Knox (25th) rounded out the Spartans in the top 25. Both Hoadley and Sonday earned All-SoCon honors in 2011 as well.
The 2009-10 campaign saw Hoadley earn All-SoCon honors and All-Freshman accolades while winning his first collegiate tournament, the Pinehurst Intercollegiate. UNCG posted two team titles during the season with a remarkable 11-shot comeback on the final day of the Georgetown Intercollegiate as well as the Towson Invitational title where it placed five golfers in the top 12 individually. The Spartans capped the season with a third-place finish at the SoCon Championships with a 3-over par score of 867.
In 2008-09, Stewart directed the Spartans to a trio of top-five team finishes during the season. UNCG placed third at the Palma Del Mar while posting fifth place finishes at both the Bridgestone Collegiate and the Towson Intercollegiate. Will Bowman tied for fifth at the SoCon Championship and earned All-Southern Conference honors. He also picked up his first career win during the season, taking medalist honors at the Palma Del Mar Intercollegiate.
The 2007-08 season was a memorable one for the Spartans as Stamey finished second at the Southern Conference Championship with a 1-under par 215. He also became the first Spartan in the NCAA Division I era to earn a spot as an individual in the NCAA postseason and the first Spartan at any level to earn a spot in the postseason since 1987.
In 2006-07, the Spartans finished fifth in the Southern Conference Championship. The team was led by Bass, who won the individual championship with a 3-under par 213, marking the Spartans first individual champion as a member of the SoCon. Additionally, UNCG captured the title at the 2006 Sam Hall Intercollegiate, ending with a six-under-par 845, a school-record 54-hole total. Following the win, the Spartans were named Golfweek’s National Men’s Collegiate Team of the Week.
In his fifth season at UNCG, Stewart helped the Spartans to seven top-10 finishes, including three top-five finishes in 2005-06. UNCG placed seventh at the Southern Conference Championships and were led by Stamey’s fourth-place finish, which earned him second team All-Conference honors.
In 2004-05, UNCG placed fourth at the SoCon Championships, while Jake Lowder and Bass were each named to the SoCon All-Conference team for their efforts during the course of the season. Led by Stamey’s first-place finish in the opening tournament of the season, the Spartans took home second-place honors at the Mid Pines Intercollegiate. In a second tourney hosted by UNCG, the Spartans picked up a third-place finish at the Forest Oaks Intercollegiate – what is now UNCG’s annual fall Bridgestone Collegiate – in the final tournament of the regular season. Sandwiched in between, Stewart watched as the Spartans posted top-five finishes in five of their other seven regular-season tournaments, including a second-place showing at the 49er Collegiate Classic.
The 2003-04 campaign was a breakthrough season as the Spartans posted a tie for second at the SoCon Championship, which represented the best finish in school history. In March 2004, the Spartans claimed top honors at the Winthrop-Waterford Invitational. The tournament crown for the Spartans was their first since the 1999-2000 season, when UNCG took top honors at the Southern California Intercollegiate. Andy Bare and Bass took home medalist honors in two tournaments each. Bare was named First Team All-SoCon for the second consecutive season while Nick Baker was named Second-Team All-SoCon.
In just his second season, Stewart guided the Spartan squad to a fifth-place finish in the 2003 SoCon Championship. At the time, it was the program’s best finish in its six-year history in the Southern Conference.
Stewart came to UNCG after a five-year stint at his alma mater, Lenoir-Rhyne College. There, he served as head coach for both the men’s and women’s golf teams. In that time, he was named the 2001 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Coach of the Year and the 1999 South Atlantic Men’s Coach of the Year. He led the Bears’ women’s squad to appearances in the 2000 and 2001 NCAA Division II National Championships.
Stewart graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne in 1994 with a degree in Sports Management. He and his wife, Yvonne, are the proud parents of sons Spencer and Thomas.
