Former Nighthawk standout Julianne Sutton is entering her second season an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program. Sutton returns to Dahlonega, Ga. after suiting up in the blue and white for five years from 2017 to 2022.
Sutton returned to Dahlonega for the 2024-25 season after spending the previous two years in the professional world as a non-profit worker with the International Mission Board (IMB).
In Sutton’s first season on staff, UNG soared to new heights as the Nighthawks compiled the best record (31-3) in program history, won the PBC Regular-season and Tournament Championship and hosted the 2025 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional before finishing the year in the Sweet 16.
With IMB, Sutton has lived in Madrid, Spain since 2022 and has worked primarily with children teaching English classes while also organizing sports camps and daily activities. Sutton also started religious programs and a University Community Program in Madrid as well.
In her time abroad, Sutton has also served as the Logistics Coordinator for Americans serving non-profits overseas in which she coordinated week-long trips for American students to join overseas non-profits.
As a player under Burson, Sutton stands as one of the most distinguished athletes in UNG history. In her five-year career, she was a three-time Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American, a two-time Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Region selection and a four-time Peach Belt Conference All-Conference selection.
In her senior season, Sutton averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor, 35.4 percent from deep and 71.1 percent at the free throw line. Her season-long dominance earned her the titles of PBC Player of the Year, D2CCA Southeast Region Player of the Year and WBCA National Player of the Year as she led the Nighthawks to a 29-4 record and a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the first in program history.
Sutton is the only player in program history to be named the WBCA National Player of the Year. She dominates the UNG record book as the NCAA-era all-time leader in points, games played, field goals made, field goal percentage and rebounds. She also holds the record for the highest field goal percentage in a single season (59.2 percent, 2020) and the most blocks in a single game (nine, 2018).
The Flowery Branch, Ga. native was just the second player in UNG's 53-year history to record over 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, joining Morey LeFeve who accomplished the same feat from 1997-2000 in the NAIA era of the program.
Sutton completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology at North Georgia in 2020 before graduating with a Master's of Science in Kinesiology in 2022.
Updated: June 2025
