AUGUSTA, Ga. – The No. 15 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's golf team finished as the Runner-Up in the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Championship for the second consecutive season and third time in program history. 

At the par-72, 6,123-yard Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. the Nighthawks posted the best final round of any team in the field as they made a valiant comeback effort. 

UNG trailed No. 21 Lander by 17 shots heading into the final round on Sunday. 

The Nighthawks played the front nine at 1-over par to begin the finale. While the Bearcats struggled through the first nine holes at 7-over par, the Nighthawks had cut the deficit to 11 shots heading into the back nine, setting up a come-from-behind opportunity.

UNG continued to roll through the opening holes of the second nine. A combined six birdies on the holes 10 through 13 brought the Nighthawks to 3-under on the day and within five shots of Lander with five holes left to play. 

Unfortunately, bogeys piled up for UNG down the stretch as the Bearcats finished at 33-over for the tournament, defeating the field by six strokes as the Nighthawks landed as the Runner-Up at 39-over.

Senior Jadin Ware went nuclear in Sunday's final round. She posted five birdies to finish with a 3-under par 69 to tie the lowest individual round of the tournament. 

Ware finished in fourth place individually at 4-over par to record her fifth top-10 finish of the year. It was her second-best performance of the season and second finish inside the top 5 of an event.

Entering the clubhouse just behind Ware was freshman Ellie Jane Riner. The 2025 PBC Freshman of the Year lived up to the hype with a tournament score of 10-over after a 5-over 77 on Sunday. 

Riner was the highest finishing freshman as she tallied her fourth top-10 finish and second top-5 placement of her debut collegiate season. 

Sophomore Abby Franks carded four birdies and a final-round 73 to shoot up the individual leaderboard to become UNG's third top-10 finisher of the championship. Franks concluded the tournament at 15-over in total and in a tie for eighth place. 

With Franks' ascension into the top-10, Riner, Ware and herself are now all tied with four top-10 performances this season. 

Junior transfer Cora Mount finished her first appearance in the PBC Championship with a 79 during Sunday's final round. After strong play in the first 36 holes, Mount did enough work to finish 17-over and in a tie for 11th place to mark her first top-15 performance this season.

Senior Ellie Rippee finished in 14th place at 19-over in total after carding a final-round 72 for the second-lowest round of the day for the Nighthawks on Sunday. She has now finished four tournaments inside the top 15 this year.

UNG finished ahead of No. 2 Flagler in the tournament as the Saints landed in third place, 13 shots behind the Nighthawks at 52-over par.  UNG entered the PBC Championship ranked ninth in the South Region behind Flagler who was ranked second. 

As this year's host of the regional tournament, the Nighthawks will now wait to hopefully hear their name called from the selection committee later this week. Should UNG be selected to participate in the regional, it will mark the program's first team appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.