Tar Heel Report 2022-23

STRATEGIC PLAN 2023-24

THE LAST DECADE

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

STUDENT-ATHLETE DEMOGRAPHICS

ATHLETIC SUCCESS

THE PATTERSON MEDAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAS

THE RAMS CLUB

ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS

THE 2022-23 RAMMYS

STUDENT-ATHLETE HEALTH AND WELLNESS

STUDENT-ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP

FACILITIES AND BUILDING MANAGEMENT

CAROLINA COMMUNITY 38

Executive Overview

Dear Tar Heels,

For Carolina Athletics, 2022-23 marked another year of celebrating incredible success – as we prepared for the future.

We cheered another undefeated and NCAA championship season for Field Hockey, a seventh ITA Indoor National Championship and a first-ever NCAA team championship for Women’s Tennis, five individual national titles and an eighth straight semester of a 3.0 or better GPA. In addition, we welcomed more than one million fans to Chapel Hill for more than 250 events, hired three new head coaches after the retirement of three long-time leaders, finished key facilities projects (while beginning new ones), and exceeded our fundraising goals as we completed the five-year Campaign for Carolina Athletics.

We also updated our Strategic Plan for Carolina Athletics for the next three years with a familiar mission: We educate and inspire through athletics. Thank you to our dedicated coaches, staff, donors, University partners and the Carolina Community for your continued support of this mission.

We know college athletics is changing, and we must continue to adapt to and lead those changes. I am proud that we continue to focus on providing championshipcaliber opportunities and the best experiences possible for 28 teams and more than 800 students – now, and in the future.

Strategic Plan 2023-24

M

i SS i ON : WE EDUCATE AND i NSP i RE THROUGH ATHLET i CS

VALUES

RESPONSIBILITY

Do what is right

INNOVATION

Find a better way

SERVICE

Put others first

EXCELLENCE

Play hard. Play smart. Win together.

V

TOGETHER WE WIN

PR

i OR i T i ES

STUDENT-ATHLETES

Ensure all student-athletes achieve their full potential in academics, athletics and personal success

COACHES AND STAFF

Provide an inclusive and supportive environment that helps coaches and staff lead and develop student-athletes to reach their goals and pursue championships

CAROLINA COMMUNITY

Welcome, value and engage all students, coaches, staff, alumni, fans and friends

From the Desk of Bubba Cunningham

The Last Decade

2014 FACILITIES MASTER PLAN

Began plan to update athletics competition and practice facilities with a budget of $130M 2015

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship

JAMIE LOEB NCAA Singles Champion

2020 FOOTBALL

Earned first-ever bid to the Orange Bowl

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship

FIELD HOCKEY NCAA Championship

MEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship

SMITH CENTER Locker Room Renovation: $6M

MEN’S LACROSSE NCAA Championship

OLYMPIC GAMES

18 Tar Heels competed in Rio de Janeiro

WOMEN’S LACROSSE NCAA Championship

MEN’S BASKETBALL NCAA Championship

TOGETHER WE WIN Launched New Strategic Plan

KENAN STADIUM Turf improvements for $2M

2021 2022

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship

MEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship

ELIZABETH SCOTTY & MAKENNA JONES

Women’s Tennis NCAA Doubles Champions

OLYMPIC GAMES

10 Tar Heels competed at Tokyo Olympics

EDDIE SMITH FIELD HOUSE

Renovation: $4M

AUSTIN O’CONNOR 149-Pound NCAA Champion Wrestling

FIELD HOCKEY NCAA Championship

SHELTON STADIUM Completed for $15M

FINLEY FIELDS Track and Practice Fields completed for $14M

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship

NICOLE GREENE

KENNY SELMON Won US Track and Field Championship in 400-meter hurdles

KOMAN PRACTICE COMPLEX Completed for $40M

Women’s Track and Field NCAA Indoor High Jump Champion

DORRANCE FIELD Soccer/Lacrosse and Team Building completed for $36M

2023

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Fall Championship

WOMEN’S LACROSSE NCAA Championship

FIELD HOCKEY NCAA Championship

CHEWNING TENNIS COMPLEX OPENING Renovation: $18.5 Million

ARANZA VAZQUEZ 1M & 3M NCAA Champion

Women’s Diving

NIL Beginning of NIL Era

50 YEARS Celebration of 50 Years of Carolina Women’s Athletics

TOGETHER WE WIN Launched Updated Strategic Plan

AUSTIN O’CONNOR 157-pound NCAA Champion Wrestling

FIELD HOCKEY NCAA Championship

KENAN STADIUM Seatbacks and locker room renovations for $9M

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Indoor National Championship & NCAA National Championship

FIONA CRAWLEY AND CARSON TANGUILIG NCAA Champion Women’s Tennis Doubles

Academic Success

Once again, our Tar Heel student-athletes excelled and demonstrated outstanding commitment in the classroom. In addition, the return of the formal Tar Heel Scholar-Athlete Academic Awards Luncheon, including the hallmark speeches from the Top 10 awardees, was a special way to end the academic year and celebrate all the successes of our talented Tar Heels.

Student-Athlete Demographics

Carolina Athletics takes pride in maximizing opportunities for student-athletes during their time in Chapel Hill as they compete for championships and progress toward graduation. Carolina has the largest amount of studentathletes in the UNC System as well as the ACC. Only four schools in the Power 5 conferences have more student-athletes than Carolina, and we are proud of what we are able to offer to these outstanding individuals both in and out of competition.

866 TAR HEEL STUDENT-ATHLETES

288 MINORITY

15 TEAMS

ACHIEVED A PERFECT 1000 IN SINGLE-YEAR APR

608 STUDENT-ATHLETES ON SCHOLARSHiP

212 FULL SCHOLARSHIP

396 PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP

258 NON SCHOLARSHIP

RECRUiTiNG THE BEST STUDENTS

One reason our students continue to excel is our commitment to successfully executing a highly selective recruiting strategy, as the Department and our coaches continue to prioritize the recruitment and enrollment of exceptional student-athletes who succeed in competition and our classrooms. As measured by the NCAA’s IPP (Institutional Performance Program) metrics and our own internal records, we continue to recruit student-athletes whose academic profile is better than the best.

The most important measurement of our success may be the fact that for FGR1 and GSR2, we recorded single-year and multi-year results that are the highest in the history of the measurements.

SCHOOL NCAA CORE GPA 1

3.56 - US News Top 10 Publics 2

3.48 - Atlantic Coast Conference

1. The Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) has been reported since 1991 by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. The metric is a six-year rate that includes students who matriculate in the fall semester and received athletic scholarship aid in their first semester of enrollment. All student-athletes who leave a university in good standing prior to graduation, and all student-athletes who transfer to other universities and graduate are counted as non-graduates for this metric.

2. The Graduation Success Rate (GSR) is an NCAA metric launched in 1998 that is calculated for student athletes who received athletics aid during their initial semester of enrollment. Unlike the FGR, the GSR also includes students who transfer into the institution who are included in their original matriculation year cohort. The GSR also differs from the FGR in that schools are not penalized when a student-athlete with athletics eligibility remaining leaves in good academic standing to transfer to another institution, pursue a professional career, or for any other reason.

3. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is an NCAA metric based on the academic eligibility, retention, and graduation of student-athletes receiving athletically related financial aid. It has been reported since 2003.

*NCAA has not yet updated the IPP data to include the incoming class of 2022.

PHI BETA KAPPA INDUCTEES

Athletic Success

With 28 teams and more than 800 student-athletes, Carolina is committed to setting the standard for broad-based sports programming. In 2022-23, Field Hockey won the NCAA title and Women’s Tennis won ITA and NCAA titles, increasing our all-time national team championships to 60. Top-5 finishes by Women’s Soccer (NCAA runner-up), Men’s Golf (tied for third), Women’s Cross Country (fifth) and Women’s Lacrosse (tied for fifth) helped propel Carolina to an eighth-place finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup – the 24th top-10 finish for the Tar Heels in the Cup’s 29-year history.

Baseball 36-24 (14-14)

◊ UNC received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season, the longest active streak by an ACC team.

◊ Scott Forbes won his 100th game and became the first Tar Heel baseball coach to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons.

◊ Vance Honeycutt became the first Tar Heel to be named ACC Defensive Player of the Year since the award was established in 2017.

◊ Mac Horvath was named first team All-America by Perfect Game. He became the first player in program history to have 20 home runs (24), 20 doubles (21) and 20 steals (25) in the same season. He was the first ACC player to achieve all of those milestones since 1999.

◊ The Tar Heels had a trio of juniors selected in the Major League Baseball Draft and placed four student-athletes on the all-conference teams.

Men’s Basketball 20-13 (11-9)

◊ Armando Bacot led the ACC in rebounding and became the 19th Tar Heel to repeat as first-team All-ACC, the first since Tyler Hansbrough (2006-09).

◊ Bacot set all-time Carolina records for rebounds and double-doubles, breaking both marks in UNC’s 80-69 win over NC State on January 21. Bacot broke Hansbrough’s rebounding record (has 1,335, fifth most in ACC history, with one season to play) and Billy Cunningham’s record for double-doubles (has 68, third most in ACC history behind only Tim Duncan and Ralph Sampson).

◊ RJ Davis led the ACC in free throw shooting at 88.1 percent, the third highest in a season by a Tar Heel. He also became UNC’s all-time leader in free throw percentage (.850).

◊ Hubert Davis became the third Tar Heel men’s basketball head coach (with Ben Carnevale and Bill Guthridge) to win 20 or more games in each of his first two seasons.

◊ Leaky Black became the third Tar Heel to earn ACC All-Defensive team honors in multiple seasons and set the all-time games played record by a Tar Heel (155).

Women’s Basketball 22-11 (11-7)

◊ UNC made the 30th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and earned its 50th NCAA Tournament win. Carolina is one of just seven programs with 30 or more appearances and one of 10 with 50 or more wins.

◊ Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby earned first-team All-ACC and honorable mention All-America honors. Both players passed the 1,000-careerpoints mark during the season.

◊ The Tar Heels won 20+ games for the second year in a row and 27th time in program history. UNC earned six wins over teams ranked in the AP poll, including two top-five victories.

◊ After winning the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore., UNC climbed to No. 6 in the AP poll, the program’s highest ranking since the 2014-15 season.

◊ At Carmichael Arena in January, UNC beat No. 11 NC State and No. 13 Duke in consecutive home games. It marked the first time in program history that UNC defeated its Triangle rivals in back-toback games when both were ranked. The win over NC State was UNC’s first sellout at home since the 2014-15 season, and the win over Duke marked UNC’s largest student section crowd –1,500+ – in program history.

Cross Country

◊ For the first time ever, both squads finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships. The women had their best-ever finish at fifth, and the men’s team’s 10th-place finish was its second-best ever (and best since 1985).

◊ Parker Wolfe became the first Tar Heel to win the ACC Cross Country Runner of the Year award. He also earned All-America honors for the second consecutive year by finishing ninth at the NCAA Championship as the ACC’s top individual finisher. Wolfe’s finish was the best by a UNC male since 1956 and the third top-10 finish in men’s program history. Wolfe is only the second two-time All-America in school history.

◊ Kelsey Harrington was an All-America as well, finishing 17th in the women’s NCAA Championship for the best finish by a UNC woman since 2011. She is the sixth UNC woman to post a top-20 finish at NCAAs.

◊ The men’s team earned its third consecutive 1000 single-year Academic Progress Rate while the women had their fourth perfect score in five years.

Fencing

◊ Eli Lippman finished 24th at the 2023 NCAA Fencing Championships. On his way to his 24th place finish, Lippman claimed his best win of the NCAA Championships, defeating All-America and semi-final qualifier Teddy Lombardo of Columbia.

◊ All-America Sophia Kovacs capped off the season with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, a fifth-place finish at regionals and a fourth place finish at the ACC Championships.

◊ Kovacs emerged as one of the most talented sabrests in the country in her first year as a Tar Heel, leading all Carolina fencers in wins with 45.

◊ The women’s fencing team ended the 2023 season ranked 12th in the final USFCA end of season poll thanks to quality wins over Boston College, Long Island and Air Force.

◊ The men’s fencing team ended the season ranked 12th in the USFCA end of season coaches poll. During the 2023 campaign, the Tar Heels posted wins over No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Penn State, LIU and Boston College.

Field Hockey 21-0 (6-0)

◊ UNC finished the season undefeated, winning the program’s 10th NCAA championship and 25th ACC championship. Carolina leads all NCAA DI programs in all-time national titles.

◊ Senior Erin Matson became the leading scorer in ACC history and won the Honda Sport Award for field hockey for the third time in her career. She’s just the second player to win that honor three times, following in the footsteps of coach Karen Shelton.

◊ UNC swept the ACC honors, with Matson named ACC Offensive Player of the Year for the fifth year in a row, Meredith Sholder named ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Ryleigh Heck named ACC Freshman of the Year and Karen Shelton named ACC Coach of the Year.

◊ At the conclusion of the season, Shelton retired following 42 seasons as head coach. She is the all-time winningest coach in the sport’s history after leading the Tar Heels to 745 victories. The final one was a 2-1 thriller against Northwestern in the NCAA title game in Storrs, Conn.

Football 9-5 (6-2)

◊ The Tar Heels were ACC Coastal Division champions for only the second time since division play started. The Tar Heels were selected to play in the Holiday Bowl, their fourth straight bowl game.

◊ UNC posted nine wins for just the second time since 1997.

◊ Quarterback Drake Maye became just the second player in ACC history to sweep the ACC Player, ACC Offensive Player, ACC Rookie and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards

◊ Four Tar Heels were selected in the NFL Draft. The program’s 13 players selected in the last three drafts are tied for second in the ACC and tied for 12th nationally.

◊ The team posted the program’s highest-ever multi-year Academic Progress Rate at 982.

Men’s Golf

◊ UNC tied for third at the NCAA Championship, winning the 72-hole stroke play portion of the Championship and advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over Arizona State in match play in the quarterfinals. UNC has finished fifth, fifth and third in the last three NCAA Championships, unprecedented at UNC, which is one of only three schools to reach match play in the last three seasons.

◊ In addition to finishing first in stroke play in the NCAA Championship, UNC won five tournaments for the first time since 1985-86. Four of the five wins were against the second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-strongest fields in tournament golf in the country during the season.

◊ David Ford earned first-team All-America and ACC Player-of-the-Year honors. He had the secondlowest scoring average in UNC history and became the first player since Brooks Koepka to win ACC Freshman of the Year and ACC Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.

◊ For the first time in UNC men’s golf history, four Tar Heels – Ford, Ryan Burnett, Austin Greaser and Dylan Menante – earned All-America and All-ACC honors.

◊ Andrew DiBitetto was named ACC Coach of the Year. He also was the recipient in 2022 and became the fourth individual to win ACC Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons.

Women’s Golf

◊ Kayla Smith earned All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. Smith is the first Tar Heel women’s golfer to repeat on the All-ACC team since 2013.

◊ Smith won the Texas A&M “Mo”Morial, tied the single-season UNC scoring record at 73.00 and is Carolina’s all-time stroke average leader at 73.50.

◊ Krista Junkkari was co-medalist at the Ivy Intercollegiate, finished her four-year career No. 4 in career scoring at 73.89 and had one of the 10 highest grade point averages among all student-athletes.

◊ Carolina won the Ivy Intercollegiate, its first team title since the 2017-18 season.

◊ The Tar Heels were invited to an NCAA regional for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Aimee Neff and finished ninth at the Pullman (Wash.) Regional.

Gymnastics 15-7 (6-0 EAGL)

◊ UNC recorded its second-straight NCAA Regional postseason berth.

◊ Lali Dekanoidze won the uneven bars and Julia Knower was cochampion on floor at the EAGL Championships as the Tar Heels recorded their highest championship finish since 2011. The program will enter ACC competition in 2023-24.

◊ Dekanoidze was named WCGA (Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association) First Team All-America and EAGL Co-Specialist of the Year.

◊ The program earned 15 EAGL All-Tournament selections, including 11 on the first team. Nineteen gymnasts were named to the EAGL All-Scholastic Team.

Men’s Lacrosse 7-7 (1-5 ACC)

◊ Logan McGovern led the Tar Heels offensively in his first season in Chapel Hill, scoring 34 goals and handing out 24 assists on the year.

◊ Attackman James Matan posted six multi-goal games on the season, the most for a UNC freshman since 2012.

◊ On March 19 against Dartmouth, coach Joe Breschi collected his 150th career win as leader of the Tar Heels.

◊ Graham Schwartz and P.J. Zinsner were named top-10 scholarathletes.

◊ Defensive midfielder Alex Breschi was honored with the Top Six For Service Award from the ACC.

Women’s Lacrosse 16-5 (7-2 ACC)

◊ UNC made its 18th straight (and 24th overall) NCAA Tournament appearance, earning a top-five seed for the 14th consecutive year. The Tar Heels also advanced to the ACC Championship title game for the 16th time in program history and seventh year in a row.

◊ Jenny Levy’s two NCAA Tournament wins in 2023 brought her career total to 42, tying her for second place all-time in NCAA games won by a Div. I head coach.

◊ Levy earned her 400th career win on March 3, which ranks third all-time in NCAA DI women’s lacrosse history and second among active coaches, also becoming the sixth coach across all three divisions to reach the milestone. The winningest coach in conference history, she also reached her 100th career ACC win on March 16, the first women’s lacrosse head coach to meet the century mark.

◊ Caitlyn Wurzburger recorded her 200th career point on May 14, becoming one of just 13 Tar Heels to reach the milestone in program history. The junior also ended the season ranked fourth all-time in the UNC record book for career assists with 94.

◊ UNC had eight USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America selections (second most in the nation), four ILWomen All-Americas (including Brooklyn Walker-Welch on the first team), eight All-ACC selections (the most in the conference, with Emily Nalls and Walker-Welch on the first team) and four IWLCA All-South Region honorees (Alyssa Long, Nalls and Walker-Welch on the first team).

Rowing

◊ UNC advanced the First (Alix De Saint-Aignan, Kate Burgess, Emma Dalton, Jackie Wilhelm and Chloe Schneider) and Second (Lauren Walsh, Sarah Redden, Ella Adamek, Camryn Gang and Lydia Houle) Varsity Four Crews to the Grand Finals at the 2023 ACC Rowing Championships.

◊ Natalie Timinskas, a member of the First Varsity Eight boat in every event this season for the Tar Heels, earned Second Team All-ACC honors.

◊ In the classroom, Jessica Judge garnered AD Scholar-Athlete and Top-10 Scholar Athlete recognition from the UNC Athletic Department, as well as earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors. As a team, the rowing program landed 30 members on the All-ACC Academic Team.

Men’s Soccer 8-6-5

(2-2-4)

◊ The Tar Heels made their 29th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and hosted a first round match.

◊ UNC had nine All-ACC Academic honorees, four College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections and 31 ACC Academic Honor Roll recipients.

◊ Sam Williams earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team. He was also called up to the U.S. U19 National Team Training Camp, one of just two collegiate players to make a U19 debut.

◊ Milo Garvanian was honored as an All-ACC Second Team and All-South Region Third Team selection. He was then drafted in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft, becoming UNC’s 51st draft selection in program history.

Women’s Soccer 20-5-1 (8-2 ACC)

◊ The Tar Heels were the NCAA runner-up after reaching the national championship game. It was UNC’s 28th NCAA title game appearance.

◊ Carolina was the ACC regular season co-champion, winning a share of its 25th regular season title. No other ACC team has more than five since the conference began sponsoring women’s soccer in 1986.

◊ UNC advanced to its 31st College Cup in the event’s 41 year history. Carolina’s 31 College Cup appearances is 18 more than the second closest team, and the Tar Heels are the only program in the country to appear in all 41 NCAA Tournaments.

◊ Tori Hansen (second-team) and Sam Meza (third-team) were named United Soccer Coaches All-America. Hansen, who was also a finalist for the Honda Award, became the 21st Tar Heel selected in the NWSL Draft.

◊ Six Tar Heels earned All-ACC accolades, including Hansen, Meza and Ally Sentnor on the first team. Four were also United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region selections, highlighted by first-team honorees Hansen and Meza.

Softball 26-28 (13-10)

◊ Carolina finished sixth in the ACC with its most conference wins since 2019.

◊ Four Tar Heels earned All-ACC honors: Abby Settlemyre (first-team), Alex Brown (second-team), Lilli Backes (second-team) and Kiersten Licea (third-team). Brown was also a third-team all-region selection.

◊ Bri Stubbs and Destiny Middleton earned CSC Academic AllDistrict honors.

◊ At the conclusion of the season, Donna Papa retired as head coach of the Tar Heels after 38 seasons. She was the fifth-longest tenured head coach in any sport in UNC history and the sixth-winningest in NCAA softball annals.

Swimming & Diving

◊ The Tar Heels finished 10th at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, their first top-10 finish since 2001. The men’s team finished 23rd at the NCAAs, its highest finish since 2015.

◊ Aranza Vazquez became the first diver in program history to win a national championship, capturing both the NCAA Women’s 1M and 3M titles. She was named CSCAA Women’s Diver of the Year.

◊ Diver Anton Down-Jenkins received All-America honors for the third consecutive season and became the program’s first, First Team Academic All-America since 2003. Yaidel Gamboa was selected as the CSCAA Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.

◊ Swimmer Grace Countie earned All-America status in seven events (three individual, four relays). Louis Dramm became the first Tar Heel to earn All-America honors in the men’s 400 IM since 2013.

◊ Nine men’s and women’s swimmers and divers were named CSCAA All-America.

Men’s Tennis 19-9 (9-3 ACC)

◊ The Tar Heels tied for third place in the ACC regular season standings and hosted NCAA Championship first- and second-round matches for the ninth consecutive year. Carolina advanced to the NCAA Championship round of 16 for the ninth consecutive time.

◊ UNC finished 14th in the final ITA poll, its 10th consecutive top-15 finish.

◊ The new Chewning Tennis Center made its debut at midseason, giving Tar Heel student-athletes and tennis fans a first-class facility that rivals the very best in the nation.

◊ The North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame honored the many career achievements of 30th-year head coach Sam Paul by inducting him into its Hall of Fame.

◊ Senior Mark Dillon, a Morehead-Cain Scholar, was named the Athletic Director’s Scholar-Athlete for men’s tennis in recognition of his stellar career in the classroom and on the court.

Women’s Tennis 35-1 (13-0)

◊ Under the leadership of head coach Brian Kalbas, UNC won its seventh ITA Indoor National Championship and later won the program’s first NCAA championship.

◊ The Tar Heels extended their home winning streak to 81 matches and entered the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed for the thirdstraight season in 2023.

◊ North Carolina won a program-record 35 matches and went a perfect 18-0 at home.

◊ Reese Brantmeier, Fiona Crawley, Elizabeth Scotty and Carson Tanguilig were each named ITA All-Americas following the 2023 season.

◊ Crawley was named ACC Player of the Year after compiling a 46-3 record, including a 13-1 record in ACC play in 2023.

◊ Kalbas was named the ITA National Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.

◊ Three Tar Heels were named ITA National Awards in 2023. Anika Yarlagadda was named the ITA Most Improved Senior, Kalbas was named the Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year and Crawley was named the ITA National Player of the Year.

Indoor Track & Field

◊ Five student-athletes competed at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, and all five were All-Americas. Parker Wolfe became a three-time All-America and a first-time track honoree when he finished fifth in the 5,000-meter run. The distance medley relay team of Jesse Hunt, Jared Williams, Kyle Reinheimer and Ethan Strand finished sixth at NCAAs.

◊ Led by a strong performance by several distance runners, the men finished fifth and the women were 10th at the 2023 ACC Indoor Championships. Three Tar Heels won individual indoor ACC titles, with two more placing as medalists. Taryn Parks won her second consecutive ACC title in the women’s mile, and Hunt set a facility record on the men’s side to give Carolina a sweep in the event. Strand and Wolfe finished 1-2 in the men’s 3000m. Strand set UNC, meet and facility records and was UNC’s first 3K indoor winner in 10 seasons.

◊ Five women and 12 men made the All-ACC Academic Team. The men’s team earned its first single-year 1000 Academic Progress Rate since 2016-17, and its multiyear rate of 989 was its highest ever.

Outdoor Track & FIeld

◊ At the ACC Outdoor Championships, three Tar Heels won individual titles as the men finished sixth and the women were eighth as a team. Madison Wiltrout won her third consecutive ACC title in the women’s javelin, while Craig Saddler II won the men’s 400m hurdles and Ethan Strand took first place in the men’s 1,500m. Strand became a two-time ACC champ in 2023 after winning the 3,000m at ACC Indoors. In all, eight Tar Heels picked up first-team All-ACC Outdoor honors and 10 made second-team.

◊ Twenty-three Tar Heels (12 women and 11 men) qualified for the 2023 NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Fla. Highlighting the weekend, Wiltrout earned her fourth career berth in the NCAA Championships in the javelin, while Strand and Jesse Hunt both qualified in the men’s 1,500m (Hunt for a third time). Saddler finished third in the 400m hurdles.

◊ Seven student-athletes competed at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas. Three of the seven earned first-team All-America honors and two made secondteam. Wiltrout became a four-time All-America (including a three-time first-team honoree) in the javelin, Hunt was a first-team honoree in the men’s 1,500m and Parker Wolfe grabbed first-team honors in the men’s 5,000m. During the 2022-23 academic year, Wolfe was first-team All-America in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.

◊ McKenna Brunick and Patrick Crockett won the UNC Athletic Director’s Scholar-Athlete Awards for track and field.

Volleyball 17-12 (9-9)

◊ Four Tar Heels earned All-ACC honors: Mabrey Shaffmaster (firstteam), Charley Niego (second-team), Liv Mogridge (freshman team) and Anita Babic (freshman team). Shaffmaster was Carolina’s first first-team selection since 2019.

◊ UNC had a program-best nine student-athletes named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

◊ At the conclusion of the season, Joe Sagula retired as head coach of the Tar Heels after 33 seasons. He is the winningest volleyball coach in ACC history

◊ North Carolina earned five ACC Freshman of the Week honors, most of any program in the league. Babic was a three-time honoree, while Maddy May won the award twice.

◊ May set a new freshman record with a 3.29 digs per set average and had the third-most digs (355) and fourth-most aces (37) of any freshman in program history.

Wrestling 6-9 (2-3 ACC)

◊ Austin O’Connor won his second career national championship, this time at 157 pounds, and is the second wrestler in program history to win multiple titles.

◊ O’Connor became the program’s first five-time All-America honoree, with Lachlan McNeil and Gavin Kane collecting All-America honors for the first time.

◊ O’Connor was named a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy, given annually to the top collegiate wrestler.

◊ UNC Wrestling has posted multiple All-America wrestlers in five-straight years, and the National Finals has seen a UNC wrestler represent the past three seasons.

◊ The team finished 12th at the NCAA Championships, its best finish since 1995.

The Patterson Medal

Awarded annually to student-athletes as recognition for their outstanding achievements at Carolina, the Patterson Medal is based primarily on career athletics accomplishments. The recipients must have played at least three seasons for the Tar Heels, and sportsmanship and leadership are also considered for this highest of honors at UNC. Dr. Joseph Patterson first presented the medal in 1924 to honor the memory of his brother, John Durant Patterson.

ERiN MATSON FIELD HOCKEY CHADDS FORD, PA.

◊ Matson was the National Player of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2022 and is the only athlete to win ACC Player-of-the Year honors five times.

◊ She earned first-team All-America and All-ACC honors in all five seasons and was the ACC Female Athlete of the Year for all sports in 2019.

◊ She was the Most Valuable Player in the 2020 and 2021 ACC Tournaments and 2019, 2020 and 2022 NCAA Tournaments.

◊ Matson is No. 3 all-time in collegiate field hockey in points and goals, the ACC’s all-time leader in points and goals and UNC’s career leader in points, goals and assists (tied).

◊ Her totals include a record 23 goals and 54 points in NCAA Tournament play, which she capped with the game-winning goal with 1:19 remaining in her final game in Carolina’s 2-1 win over Northwestern in the 2022 NCAA finals. She totaled six goals in four championship games, scoring at least one goal in all four.

◊ Matson earned a degree in public relations and advertising, graduating last December. She was the ACC’s Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey in 2021 and earned four Academic All-ACC honors.

AUSTiN O’CONNOR WRESTLING LOCKPORT, ILL.

◊ O’Connor won his first NCAA title in 2021 at 149 pounds and capped his 131-win career with a second title in 2023, this time at 157 pounds.

◊ He was the Tar Heels’ first NCAA wrestling champion since three-time winner T.J. Jaworsky (1993-94-95), the only other multiple-time national champion in Carolina wrestling history.

◊ O’Connor was selected ACC Wrestler of the Year in 2021 and 2023, becoming the seventh overall and second Tar Heel to win the award multiple times. He is Carolina’s 10th three-time conference champion, and went 31-3 against ACC competition, including ACC Championship matches.

◊ A 2023 finalist for National Wrestler of the Year, O’Connor also earned two Scholar All-America awards from the National Wrestling Coaches Association. He was graduated from UNC with a double major in exercise and sports science and communication studies and earned a Master of Arts in educational innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.

Conference Championships

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPiONS

LALI DEKANOIDZE

GYMNASTiCS: BARS

iNDiViDUAL CHAMPiONS

East Atlantic Gymnastics League

CRAIG SADDLER II

MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FiELD: 400M HURDLES

Atlantic Coast Conference

FIELD HOCKEY

Atlantic Coast Conference

GYMNASTICS

East Atlantic Gymnastics League

JULIA KNOWER

GYMNASTiCS: FLOOR (CO-CHAMPiON)

East Atlantic Gymnastics League

ETHAN STRAND

MEN’S iNDOOR TRACK & FiELD: 3000M

MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FiELD: 1500M Atlantic Coast Conference

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Atlantic Coast Conference (Co-Champions)

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Atlantic Coast Conference

TOURNAMENT CHAMPiONS

JESSE HUNT

MEN’S iNDOOR TRACK & FiELD: MiLE Atlantic Coast Conference

ARANZA VAZQUEZ

WOMEN’S SW iMMiNG & Di V iNG: 1M, 3M & PLATFORM Atlantic Coast Conference

AUSTIN O’CONNOR

WRESTL iNG: 157 LB Atlantic Coast Conference

MADISON WILTROUT

WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FiELD: JAVEL iN Atlantic Coast Conference

FIELD HOCKEY

Atlantic Coast Conference

TARYN PARKS

WOMEN’S iNDOOR TRACK & FiELD: MiLE Atlantic Coast Conference

First-Team All-Americas

All-America honors recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievement in their sport, celebrating the best across the NCAA. This year, 27 Tar Heels were named first-team All-Americas, increasing the total of all-time first-team All-Americas at Carolina to 1379.

Honda Award Winners

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. In 2022-23, Carolina had two Honda Sport Award winners, with both student-athletes being recognized as the best student-athlete in her sport nationally.

FIONA CRAWLEY WOMEN’S TENNIS ERIN MATSON FIELD HOCKEY

FIONA CRAWLEY WOMEN’S TENNIS

BRANTMEIER WOMEN’S TENNIS GRACE COUNTIE WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING GAVIN KANE WRESTLING

ERIN MATSON FIELD HOCKEY

ANTON DOWN-JENKINS MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

DAVID FORD MEN’S GOLF

MAC HORVATH BASEBALL JESSE HUNT MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

KELSEY HARRINGTON WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

KYLE REINHEIMER MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ELIZABETH SCOTTY WOMEN’S TENNIS

GREER PATTISON WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

LACHLAN MCNEIL WRESTLING

AUSTIN O’CONNOR WRESTLING

LALI DEKANOIDZE GYMNASTICS

EMILY NALLS WOMEN’S LACROSSE

CARSON TANGUILIG WOMEN’S TENNIS

Head Coaches

Our 28 sports are led by dedicated and inspiring head coaches who surround themselves with the best staffs in the nation. Three new leaders – Erin Matson (Field Hockey), Mike Schall (Volleyball) and Megan Smith Lyons (Softball) – were hired to replace three retiring legends in 2022-23. Like each of our 21 head coaches, all are committed to the mission of “We educate and inspire through athletics” and strive to make their teams the best in the classroom and competition while serving the Carolina community.

A Farewell To Legends

We celebrated three outstanding long-time head coaches in 2022-2023 after they announced their retirements from their respective sports. Donna Papa, Joe Sagula and Karen Shelton led our Softball, Volleyball and Field Hockey programs for a combined 113 years – teaching, coaching, mentoring and inspiring. We thank them for their many contributions to Carolina. They are, forever, Tar Heels.

DONNA J. PAPA

SOFTBALL HEAD COACH

1985-2023

◊ Five-time ACC Coach of the Year

◊ Sixth-winningest coach in NCAA softball history (1368 wins)

◊ 5 ACC regular season championships

◊ 15 NCAA Tournament appearances at Carolina

◊ 2012 Inductee in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame

JOE SAGULA

VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

1990-2023

◊ Seven ACC championships, tied for the most in conference history

◊ 15 NCAA Tournament appearances

◊ Five-time ACC Coach of the Year

◊ Coached five ACC Players of the Year

◊ Coached 22 AVCA All Americas, and 82 All-ACC players

KAREN SHELTON

FIELD HOCKEY HEAD COACH

1981-2022

◊ Led the Tar Heels to an NCAA-record 10 NCAA championships

◊ 25 ACC championships and 40 winning seasons

◊ Nine-time National Coach of the Year

◊ Winningest coach in field hockey history with 745 career wins

◊ 2008 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee

◊ In 2018, Karen Shelton Stadium was named in her honor and is the only UNC facility named for a female coach

SCOTT FORBES BASEBALL HUBERT DAVIS MEN’S BASKETBALL

COURTNEY BANGHART WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ERIN MATSON FIELD HOCKEY MACK BROWN FOOTBALL MATT JEDNAK FENCING

AIMEE NEFF WOMEN’S GOLF DANNA DURANTE GYMNASTICS

ANDREW DIBITETTO MEN’S GOLF

JOE BRESCHI MEN’S LACROSSE

ERIN NEPPEL ROWING JENNY LEVY WOMEN’S LACROSSE

ANSON DORRANCE WOMEN’S SOCCER MEGAN SMITH LYON SOFTBALL

CARLOS SOMOANO MEN’S SOCCER

CHRIS MILTENBERG TRACK & FIELD

COLEMAN SCOTT WRESTLING MIKE SCHALL VOLLEYBALL

BRIAN KALBAS WOMEN’S TENNIS SAM PAUL MEN’S TENNIS MARK GANGLOFF SWIMMING & DIVING

Financial Snapshot

Carolina Athletics continued to focus on revenue generation over the past year, adding new categories and assets for sponsorship, reviewing ticket sales strategies and growing turnkey tailgating opportunities. It was also incredibly helpful to partner with the University for direct institutional support, and the Rams Club continued to raise key funds for scholarships, facilities and team support. Debt service for our 28-sport program, Alston-related educational expenses, projects related to Title IX and the new NCAA rule that allows teams to add additional coaches will continue to stretch our finances, which means we must continue to find new and innovative ways to support our broad-based program financially.

Fast Facts

MORE THAN $45 MILLION

Distributed from the ACC is an all-time high – over $33M in TV Revenue and $12M in other NCAA / ACC distributions.

MORE THAN $1 MILLION

First full year of Alston payments

Telling Tar Heel Stories

Whether attending events in-person or keeping up via electronic devices, UNC’s alumni, donors, recruits, parents and fans were able to stay informed through television broadcasts, social media, GoHeels.com, podcasts and traditional media. Our Carolina community stays connected through stories, and we continue to look for new ways to tell as many of our athletics stories as possible to grow and embrace our community.

257 HOME EVENTS

6,700

VOLUNTEER GADAY STAFF HOURS

6.8 MiLLiON SITE VISITORS

186 BROADCASTS ON ACC NETWORK/ ESPN PLATFORMS

1,000,325 FANS

27 POSTSEASON (ACC & NCAA) CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS HOSTED

23.7 MiLLiON PAGE VIEWS

1,900 UNIQUE STORIES POSTED

PRODUCTiONS

39 WEEKS OF CAROLINA INSIDER PODCASTS

Including highlight recaps, interviews with student-athletes and coaches, and news and notes from through Carolina Athletics.

SOCiAL MEDiA

4.98 million followers across GoHeels Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, with a growth of more than 287,000 since July 1, 2022.

The Rams Club Athletic Scholarships

The Rams Club wrapped up the multi-year Campaign for Carolina in 2022-23, surpassing the $500 million goal thanks to generous donors. These outstanding individuals continued to support scholarships, facilities projects, our teams and the annual fund in record-setting fashion, ensuring the future for student-athletes at Carolina.

$610.8 MiLLiON RAiSED DUR iNG CAMPAiGN

122.16% of the $500M Goal

$72.5 MiLLiON RAiSED iN 2022-23

$60 MiLLiON RESTRICTED GIFTS AND PLEDGES

$16.5 MiLLiON UNRESTRICTED FUNDS

$15.7 TO SPORT ENDOWMENTS

$12.1 MiLLiON TO SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENTS

THE RAMS CLUB MEMBERSHiP

20,320 TOTAL MEMBERS 3,829 NEW MEMBERS 85% RETENTION RATE

$12,498,506 IN ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS* 608 STUDENT-ATHLETES ON SCHOLARSHIP

*Athletic scholarship number for 2022-23 only, does not include Alston or Summer School

THE VALUE OF A CAROLiNA SCHOLARSHiP*

TOTAL VALUE $106,465 NON-RESIDENTS $77,371 NC RESIDENTS

*Estimates based off of percentage increases in 2022-2023

COMPLETE CAROLiNA

1,546 TOTAL DONORS

$144.5 MiLLiON TOTAL RAISED TO DATE $23.7 MiLLiON GIVING IN 2022-23

Since 2015-16, Complete Carolina has offered Tar Heel student-athletes who left Carolina before graduating the opportunity to return to Chapel Hill to earn their undergraduate degree. The financial support is proportional to the student’s athletics aid during initial enrollment –including tuition, fees, room, board and books. 88

TOTAL PARTICIPANTS 40 GRADUATES $1,763,373

TOTAL INVESTMENT IN COMPLETE CAROLINA SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT

The 2023 RAMMYS

The RAMMY Awards returned to Memorial Hall for the first time since 2019, marking the 10th time we have hosted the special blue carpet event. The awards program celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of Tar Heel student-athletes and teams in competition, in the classroom and the community. Hosted this year by Kaimon Rucker (Football) and Malu Tshitenge (Women’s Basketball), RAMMY trophies were awarded in more than a dozen categories in between videos and featured entertainment. Student-athletes, coaches and staff attended the event in their blue-carpet best, ready to celebrate and cheer on the many victories of the year.

MiLDRED MCCASK iLL AWARD

ALEIGH GAMBONE

Women’s Soccer

NIK PRY

Baseball

JOHN LOTZ AWARD

HALLIE THOMPSON

Gymnastics

LOGAN MCGOVERN

Men’s Lacrosse

UNSUNG HERO AWARD

ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

DiVERSiTY AND iNCLUSiON AWARD

STUDENT ATHLETES FOR EQUITY

RAMMY AWARDS

OUTSTANDING CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

ARANZA VAZQUEZ

Women’s Swimming & Diving

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - FEMALE

FIONA CRAWLEY

Women’s Tennis

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - MALE

AUSTIN O’CONNOR

Wrestling

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE - FEMALE

LALI DEKANOIDZE

Gymnastics

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE - MALE

ETHAN STR AND

Men’s Track & Field

BEST UPSET

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OUTSTANDING TEAM

FIELD HOCKEY & WOMEN’S LACROSSE

RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE

ARMANDO BACOT

Men’s Basketball

BEST PLAY

DRAKE MAY E & ANTOINE GREEN

Football

OUTSTANDING FEMALE NEWCOMER

ALLY SENTNOR

Women’s Soccer

OUTSTANDING MALE NEWCOMER

DAVID FORD

Men’s Golf

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ARANZA VA ZQUEZ

Women’s Swimming & Diving

OUTSTANDING MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

AUSTIN O’CONNOR

Wrestling

Student-Athlete Health and Wellness

The health and well-being of our student-athletes remains our top priority—both in the classroom and in competition. We continued to work closely with units across campus and expanded our mental health and medical services for our teams and student-athletes. We are constantly working to ensure the best support for our Tar Heels.

Student-Athlete Development and Leadership

At Carolina, we are committed to developing leaders not only in competition, but also in the community through service efforts, career development opportunities and the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy, which completed its 19th year in 2022-23. In-person community service steadily increased after a long stretch because of the pandemic, as nearly 70 student-athletes participated in the Pen Pal Program with fourth graders and the Share Your Holiday program adopted 23 children across 15 teams. Tar Heels also made numerous visits to UNC Children’s Hospital.

19 Graduate Athletic Training Students

6,697 VISITS TO PHYSICIANS BY STUDENT-ATHLETES

BADDOUR

2,961 HOURS INVESTED in Leadership Development

2,446

2,215

Facilities and Building Management

Our Facilities staff continued to work closely with units across our Department and University to provide a safe, welcoming and fan-friendly environment for more than 250 home athletic events in 2022-23. Keeping buildings, fields and competition arenas in top competitive condition for events and practices year-round for 28 teams is always a priority.

CAPiTAL PROJECTS AND RENOVATiONS

Our Facilities team worked on and completed important capital projects and renovations in 2022-2023:

◊ A new sports medicine complex in the Kenan Football Center as well as an updated player’s lounge, new outdoor hospitality space, new nutrition area and new staff/VIP locker room space

◊ Phase 1 renovations of the Chewning Tennis Center, including new competition and practice courts, lighted competition courts, new sound system, elevated concourses and seating, new concessions and restroom building and extensive renovation to the Cone Kenfield Indoor Courts

◊ Renovations to the Women’s Basketball locker room, including new lockers, renovated restroom/ shower area and office (with recruiting/experience room, renovated lobby)

◊ Replacement of the Boshamer Stadium video board

We also have multiple projects in progress, including:

◊ Renovations to Finley Golf Course, which are expected to be complete in Fall, 2023

◊ A dedicated Women’s Basketball practice facility in Woollen Gymnasium, which is expected to be complete in Spring, 2024

◊ New LED and GameDay production lights in Kenan Stadium, the Smith Center and Carmichael Arena this summer and a new video board in Carmichael Arena, scheduled to be installed in time for next Fall’s sports season

CARMICHAEL ARENA & WOOLEN GYM CHEWNING TENNIS CENTER PROJECT

KENAN FOOTBALL CENTER EXPANSION

FINLEY GOLF COURSE PROJECT

Carolina Community

Engaging with the community is an important part of being a Tar Heel. From hosting future leaders, to traveling to historical venues, to serving on panels during diversity months, our student-athletes, coaches and staff led and participated in multiple events in 2022-23 with the goals of learning, unifying, and giving back. Some highlights:

NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY

More than 500 children and adults came to Chapel Hill to participate in mini clinics, giving kids the opportunity to try out a variety of skills in a fun environment. Women’s varsity teams–including Cross Country, Field Hockey, Golf, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Rowing, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field and Volleyball–all took part in the event, working with kids of all ages.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In February, Carolina Athletics highlighted current and former student-athletes in the areas of Sport, Art & Culture, Social Justice, and Business, Innovation and Wealth with a variety of videos, articles and social media features.

CAROLINA ATHLETICS DAY OF SERVICE

More than 50 members of Carolina Athletics’ staff came together to serve the community with the first-ever Day of Service, helping at local organizations like Meals on Wheels and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

CAROLINA NIL SOCIAL

In August, our Department hosted our first NIL Social, which connected student-athletes from all 28 teams to local businesses, donors and community leaders to develop relationships and explore Name, Image and Likeness opportunities with local and national brands. The setup was similar to a career fair, and more than 450 student-athletes attended. Another social is planned for the upcoming academic year.

UNC SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT

More than 10 UNC alumni returned to campus and served as panelists in order to connect with students, young alumni, faculty and staff with interest in the sport and entertainment industry. Almost 300 attendees learned from leaders in the field and top-tier professionals from the Sport and Entertainment industry—who are also exclusively Carolina Alumni—networked with students and each other to make a positive difference.

ACC UNITY TOUR

Two student-athletes and one administrator from Carolina joined with members from the rest of the ACC immersive journey to one of the centers of the civil rights movement in Selma and Montgomery, Ala. The group participated in a variety of activities highlighted by a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and other stops along the way.

DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES

We continue to use our department framework “Empower Carolina” to guide decisions and educate, engage, and empower our student-athletes, coaches and staff. We are committed to building on these important efforts.