CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The No. 16 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's golf team resides in fourth place among 16 teams after the first 36 holes in its season-opening event at the NCAA DII South Regional Preview hosted by Lee at Cleveland Country Club.

No. 5 Lynn and No. 3 Wingate who remain in a tie for first place at 11-over par.  No. 21 Lander trails by eight shots in third place at 19-over. The Nighthawks posted a 20-over team score on day one which included a 7-over mark in the second round, a six-shot improvement from round one. No. 2 Anderson rounds out the top five at 22-over.

Seven of the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Preseason Top 25 are in the 16-team field at the South Regional preview this week. 

After falling just short of a national championship berth via a three-team playoff loss in their first ever appearance in the South Regional last season, the Nighthawks made a statement Monday, putting up a better score than four nationally ranked teams. Three of those teams are currently ranked ahead of UNG.

In the opening round, junior Camryn Wright led the way for UNG with a 2-over par 74 at the 6,036-yard, par-72 Cleveland Country Club. 

Junior Abby Franks and sophomore Ellie Jane Riner followed suit with very strong opening rounds as the duo each shot a 3-over 75. 

In the first collegiate event of her career, freshman Claire Bradford made her mark by scoring for the Nighthawks with a 5-over 77 on her first loop. Bradford joined Riner and senior Cora Mount as the only UNG golfers to record multiple birdies in the opening round.

In round two, Franks lit up Cleveland Country Club for an astonishing eight birdies through her first 13 holes. She finished the round at 2-under par and jumped 16 spots up the individual leaderboard. The junior sits in fifth place individually heading into tomorrow's final round.

Wright repeated her first-round score in round two and entered the clubhouse Monday evening in 19th place at 4-over for the tournament. 

Mount climbed further up the leaderboard than any UNG golfer in round two. The senior used five birdies in the second round to finish Monday's outing with a 1-over 73 and improve 23 spots between rounds one and two. At 8-over for the tournament she enters Tuesday's finale in 32nd place amongst the 93-player field.

Riner, the 2025 PBC Freshman of the Year, ended her first day of play this season in 36th place after a 6-over 78 in round two. 

UNG will tee off tomorrow morning, Tuesday, Sept. 16 in the hopes of securing a comeback and the program's first tournament win since it won this same event back in 2020.