DAHLONEGA - The University of North Georgia athletic department hosted its fifth annual Student-Athlete Cookout at UNG's Pine Valley Outdoor Recreation Complex Monday afternoon. Over 300 Nighthawk student-athletes, coaches, staff, UNG administrators and Nighthawks Athletic Club members were on hand to celebrate the kickoff of the 2017-18 athletic year.
 
"The annual student-athlete cookout has become a standing tradition and is one of my favorite events because we get to see the entire Nighthawk Nation come together in a social setting and celebrate the kickoff of a new year," stated UNG athletic director Lindsay Reeves.
 
The event is annually funded by the Nighthawks Athletic Club, which helped provide events such as sand volleyball, corn hole and tubing on the Etowah River. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Executive Board organized a field day style completion between all 225+ student-athletes.  The student-athletes were divided into eight teams and competed in contests like sack races, three-legged races, ultimate frisbee and tug of war.
 
The Dawsonville Pool Room catered the event serving up hundreds of hot dogs and their famous "Bully Burgers."