That happened to the daughter of one of our local coaches. May even be the same person.
Probably not the same girl. This girl's father was a banker (in Kentucky). Unfortunately, this lightning-quick progression from cold symptoms to death is all too common with meningitis. IIRC the details of this case correctly, this girl got from her dorm to the college clinic on her own steam sometime in the morning, and was dead before sundown.
What's scary is how this can happen in extremely fit and healthy people. I didn't know this girl personally (only knew her sister) so I don't really know anything about her general health. But a college friend of mine also died of meningitis in her late 20s, while she was a naval officer, and second in command of some huge ship. She was in tip-top physical condition, and still went nearly as fast as my friend's sister, leaving behind an uncomprehending 2 year old son and a devastated husband.