AUGUSTA, Ga. - For the 11th straight year, the University of North Georgia Department of Athletics has received the Peach Belt Conference's LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish Award for Most Funds Raised, the league office announced Thursday.

North Georgia has finished in the top five in NCAA Division II Make-A-Wish giving for nine years in a row and led the country on seven occasions, including 2017-18 and 2018-19. The Nighthawks have hit the five-digit mark in giving for 10 straight years and remain the only PBC school to do so.

In 2019-20, North Georgia raised $13,800 for the Make-A-Wish program. UNG also hosted their eighth Make-A-Wish reveal as the women's soccer team welcomed Luke England as an honorary captain in October.

Overall, PBC schools raised $19,628 during the year.  Last year, the Peach Belt had the second-highest total donated among all DII conferences. Lander was the recipient of the conference's Most Improved Award, increasing their giving by over 200 percent from a year ago.

Division II has raised more than $6.2 million toward granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Almost 740 "wishes" have been granted through Division II contributions. These wishes can serve as a game changer in children's fights against their illnesses, helping them feel better, and in some cases even get better.

The PBC Make-A-Wish awards were renamed the LeeAnn Noble Make-A-Wish Awards following the 2013-14 season. Noble was a women's golfer at the University of North Georgia and former wish recipient from Make-A-Wish.  She appeared on the cover of NCAA Champion Magazine in the fall of 2013 and sadly passed away in March of 2014. Her dedication to the Make-A-Wish program will live on with these awards that will forever bear her name.