GAINESVILLE, Ga. – What do you say when your fourth-year senior asks you if this is her last hole of collegiate golf? 

If you're North Georgia head women's golf coach Sierra Campbell, you answer honestly. 

"I don't know," replied Campbell to Ellie Rippee in the 18th fairway on the 54th hole of the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Golf South Regional Wednesday evening. 

Trailing by two shots from a fourth-place finish among the 18-team field, the No. 15 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's golf team needed a miracle to continue its already historic season. 

Campbell truly didn't know the answer. She had gone the entire third round without looking at the leaderboard. 

This was the first time Rippee or Campbell, or any Nighthawk women's golfer in school history, had ever been in this position. 

In their first ever appearance in the South Regional in program history, the Nighthawks had battled to a seventh-place standing through 53 holes against the toughest regional field in the country. 

14 of the nation's top 25 teams in the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) poll arrived at Chattahoochee Golf Club (CGC) in Gainesville, Ga. this week. With one hole left to play, UNG had already beaten nine of them, but all that mattered were the two teams directly in front of them; No. 2 Wingate and No. 14 Tampa. 

The Bulldogs and Spartans loitered around the 18th green after completing their round, each with a tournament score of 27-over par in a two-way tie for fourth place. At 29-over par and with only two players left on the course, the Nighthawks were down and quite nearly out. 

The thing about golf is that no player or team is ever really out of it until all is said and done. But with only three birdies on the back nine Wednesday and one birdie on the par-4 18th hole the entire week thus far, the outlook was bleak for UNG.

Campbell's answer to Rippee realistically should've been "yes" and the two would've shared a wholesome moment encapsulating all they've been through over the last four seasons. Instead, they would later share a different moment. 

Some 20 feet above their heads, sophomore Abby Franks was putting the finishing touches on the final round of a stellar second season. Franks had already shined at the regional after posting a 4-under 68 in round one. At the 18th green, she was set to find a silver lining in the tournament with a likely top-20 finish, adding to an already impressive sophomore year.

Her approach shot at the final hole sailed over a mid-right pin and rested a few inches from the back fringe of the green. Franks surveyed a 25-foot putt that would break about 12 inches from right-to-left on its path to the hole. She had just one birdie on the scorecard Wednesday prior to her arrival at 18. 

She would need to make the improbable birdie putt to drop the Nighthawks to 28-over, thus giving Rippee and the team a shot at another birdie and 27-over to tie Wingate and Tampa. 

As the ball left the face of Franks' silver Titleist blade, it appeared she didn't hit it hard enough as it slowed to an excruciating pace short of the cup. However, it rolled to the top ridge of the three-tiered putting surface and picked up momentum over the final 10-feet. 

"Go. Go. Goooooooo," groaned the crowd. The entire season hung on the line during the ball's final revolution. Dying with speed and breaking towards the hole, the ball took one last left turn and dropped into the cup. 

The crowd immediately erupted. UNG faculty members leapt off the nearby bleachers in amazement. Parents and friends shrieked with joy. Franks raised both arms in the air and ran to embrace Nighthawk volunteer assistant coach Katie Woodruff who helped her read the must-have birdie putt. Franks finished with a 3-over 75 in the round and with two birdies, none larger in her entire season than the last one. 

Back in the fairway, Rippee and Campbell's knees buckled in shock. There was hope after all. Now, only Rippee could answer her own question. If this was not to be the final hole in her career, she would have to make birdie. 

Amplified by the prolific putt up ahead, Rippee addressed the ball with a wedge in her hand, needing a good swing and a close approach to setup a look for birdie. Her shot arched beautifully into the air and appeared to be on target. The 18th hole at CGC is unique in that approach shots to the elevated green often don't garner the attention they deserve. Fans are blinded to the golfers in the fairway and thus fail to be made aware when a player is hitting. Every shot that lands on or near the green becomes a mystery worthy of a little detective work to determine the owner of the previous shot.

Sobering themselves from the thrill of Franks' 25-footer, the crowd was shocked once more when Rippee's ball popped up and stopped four feet away from the pin. They let out a road that could be heard from Dahlonega. 

Rippee climbed the hill with a beaming smile. She let her playing partners finish before confidently knocking in the birdie putt. Last hole of college golf? Not anymore. She raced to the edge of the green to hug Campbell and her teammates. 

Five minutes prior, eyes welled with tears from sadness. Players and fans alike were convinced this magical season was over. After Rippee's miraculous birdie, those same eyes burst with tears of joy. The Nighthawks were not done yet.

With back-to-back birdies on 18, UNG earned a spot in the now three-team playoff for the final spot to go to the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championship at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada.

When the pressure reached its peak, so did the Nighthawks. 

"We hadn't been in this situation before as a program to do that, to really thrive in pressure-filled situations and today was exactly that," said Campbell.

Tampa, Wingate and UNG would participate in a sudden-death playoff in which all five golfers would play the par-4 1st hole. Dropping the lowest score per team, the remaining team with the lowest score would advance to the National Championship. The Nighthawks and Bulldogs outlasted Tampa on the first hole as both teams recorded five pars while the Spartans had two bogeys. Wingate and UNG move on to 18 again in a two-team playoff of the same format. 

The second-ranked Bulldogs survived on the second sudden-death hole with four pars and a double bogey as the Nighthawks mustered two pars and three bogeys. 

This time the season really was over. But the end came after UNG gave themselves and everyone in attendance a moment they'll never forget. 

"Today was a privilege, to have pressure like that, to be in the kitchen, and it was a blessing to have something that means so much to you," Campbell said after the round. "I prayed to God a lot last night to not let today be my last day with those seniors and he gave me three extra holes, so that was appreciated."

Jadin Ware, Ellie Rippee and Lainey Panter were the three seniors Campbell referenced. The trio witnessed and poured blood, sweat and tears into the construction of this program. When they were freshmen in 2022, UNG had never finished a season ranked higher than 23rd in the country. 

Only five players filled Campbell's lineup this week. And yet, every player on her roster contributed in their own way. 

Ware led UNG in scoring this season and set the tone for the program to reach new heights in 2025. Her leadership and aggressive attack of the golf course aided the Nighthawks in their quest for history this week.

Rippee reclaimed her spot as the team's tried and true leader on the golf course. She entered the week as the fifth player in the lineup, but didn't let that stop her from shooting 3-over and finishing in ninth place in the event to lead the way for the Nighthawks.

Panter provided insight, support and a calming presence as she steered her teammates through the most competitively grueling tournament the team has ever participated in. "Lainey has given every ounce of blood and sacrifice and sweat to this program as well. It may not seem like that all the time because she's not always in the lineup, but what she's given as a teammate, leader and work horse means everything to me." 

"Everyone on this team contributed, it was not just the five [players] playing. Every person on this roster is more important to me than they may ever understand," continued Campbell.

Freshman Ellie Jane Riner got up and down on 18 with an electric par save to open the door for Franks and Rippee. The 2025 Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year capped off a tremendous season with a 36th-place finish on the biggest stage in program history. 

Junior Cora Mount carded a clutch 2-over 74 for her best round of the tournament on Wednesday. Her fire and grit led the way for her four teammates behind her as she teed off first in the final round. 

Franks recorded arguably two of the four biggest shots of the tournament for the Nighthawks. Before the birdie on Wednesday, Franks plunked a hole-in-one at the third hole of the opening round on Monday. Paired with an eagle from Rippee on Tuesday, those two scores–two of just five eagles from the entire tournament field–proved quintessential in aiding UNG's 27-over total. 

Sophomore Camryn Wright kept tabs on all five golfers throughout the week and provided words of reassurance and affirmation to her teammates when they needed it most, never allowing them to get down on themselves in the tough moments. 

Fellow sophomore Chanley Box stood alongside with a goofy smile and a lucky birdie stick, keeping spirits high and pressure low. She served as a living and breathing reminder that you're supposed to have fun out there. Box was also shamelessly the loudest cheerleader throughout the week. 

Every member of the team contributed in more ways than one this week and this season. They helped shatter multiple program records. They lifted UNG to its highest WGCA ranking in school history. They shined on the course as athletes and off it as people. They put North Georgia women's golf on the map.

Campbell's team, despite not winning an event during the season, completed the best season in program history Wednesday. 

"To think that we never even got a win but were so consistent and up near the top of the leaderboard all the time. This is just such a special group. It's been the honor of a lifetime to coach them and watch them flourish."

While the 2025 season has come to a close, for Campbell, this does not mark the end of a legacy, but the beginning of an ascent to new heights. 

"Our season, our year together isn't defined by a couple bogeys on 18. I can promise you that. I will miss this group sp much. The culture they've built together is second to none."

While the records and accomplishments are nice, what this team did more than anything else, was make Nighthawk Nation proud. Days like Wednesday serve as a throbbing reminder of what sports can be and how they can break, mend and melt hearts (particularly when the entire team is gifted friendship bracelets from a team mom that wants them to be "together forever").

Sports can create lasting memories that serve as bookmarks amidst the chapters of life. The members of this team will never forget the chapter they wrote Wednesday. And despite it ending in a loss, it only serves as a beacon for the future.

"We're not done. That wasn't a peak for us. I'm really excited to see what the future looks like. And what a blessing to have something that's so hard to say goodbye to."