PAGE 18
FLAWLESS NATIONAL CHAMPS
Field hockey rides perfect
record to national title
BY JOE MCLEAN
STAFF WRITER
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 18 For the North
Carolina coach who always says, The most important
game is the next one,’ there's finally a chance to rest
After 24 wins and a school-record 16 shutouts, the
Tar Heels have no more games to play.
They’ve won them all.
The undefeated UNC field hockey team captured
its fifth national championship under head coach
Karen Shelton with one final shutout win against No.
9 Penn State on Nov. 18.
The 3-0 victory at Maryland’s Field Hockey &
Lacrosse Complex sealed the Tar Heels’ perfect
record and gave them a seat in history as only the
fifth Division I field hockey team to win it all without
losing or tying a game.
‘We re absolutely euphoric to have won the national
championship,’ Shelton said. *We started this cam
paign a long time ago. From the first practice in
preseason, to now, I’ve had a team that’s remained
remarkably focused and hard-working.’
The Tar Heels (24-0) kept their last opponent in
check with ironclad defense from the game's start to
the middle of the second half. They had some breath
ing room thanks to goals by Katelyn Falgowski and
Rachel Dawson, the second after a fake shot on the
team's fifth penalty corner.
And when Danielle Forword nailed a reverse stick
shot home off a pass from Dawson, the celebration
could begin.
Before the showdown with Penn State, the Tar
Heels two days earlier had to beat No. 4 Connecticut,
the only team in the final four UNC hadn't already
met this season.
After battling possession with the Huskies in a
hard-fought final 20 minutes, UNC prevailed again.
A baseline goal by Forword to seal the deal for a 4-2
victory.
But after Sunday’s final game, there was no more
SEE CHAMPIONS. PAGE 15
Deja vu: Heels fall short again
OSU ousts UNC again
in CWS championship
BY DAVID ELY
SPORTS EDITOR
OMAHA, Neb., June 24 lt seemed so
familiar and yet so different
For the second consecutive year, North
Carolina's baseball season came to a disap
pointing conclusion as Oregon State swept the
Tar Heels 11-4 and 9-3 at Rosenblatt Stadium
to repeat as national champions the first
team to do so since Louisiana State in 1996-
97
Tve got to congratulate Oregon State," UNC
head coach Mike Fox said. “What an unbeliev
able accomplishment that is to win back-to
back national championships. Can’t ever say
never, but I'm not sure that's gonna be done
here at this level too many times."
Unlike last year, when OSU won a tight
three-game battle for the NCAA crown, this
time around Oregon State (49-18) was clearly
the better team in its two weekend victories.
In its back-to-back wins, OSU utilized timely
hitting and steady starting pitching the most
surefire recipe for postseason success to put
the Tar Heels (57-16) in early deficits that they
couldn’t overcome.
It wasn't just those long balls that doomed
the Tar Heels, it was Oregon State’s penchant
for punishing UNC with big rallies.
During the course of the weekend, OSU had
six innings of two or more runs while the Ikr
Heels countered with only one of their own.
UNC couldn't to string together the needed
hits to prolong a rally nor were they able to
deliver the big hit
“We couldn’t just get that big hit whether
it’s two outs or an extra-base hit with people
wmnwvm
16th: Finish by then-sophomore Bobby
Scdimann in men’s sabre in the 2007
NCAA Championships in Madnon, NJI
13th: finish by the men’s and women’s
team in the NCAA Championships.
Chip Peterson: Set school records in
1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyies.
Frank Comfort Retired after 30th sea
son as UNC coach with 578 career dual
meet wins, most in NCAA history
NCAAs: Made the quarterfinals for
first time since 2004.
10-6: Final record, a five-game
improvement from 2006.
20: Conseokm wins to start die seasm,
the for Heels' best start since 1965.
No. 6 Seed: UNCs placement in the
NCAA Tournament field, the highest
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The North Carolina field hockey team celebrates the close of its undefeated season Nov. 18 in College Park. Md., after beating Penn State 3-0 to daim the national
championship. The Tar Heels, led by senior captains Laree Beans and Rachel Dawson, are the fifth team in Division I history to finish a season without any losses or ties.
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DTH FILE/LARRY BAUM
Then-juniors Josh Horton (12) and Reid Frank (7) were integral parts to North Carolina's second con
secutive run to the men's College World Series final, where UNC was knocked out by Oregon State.
on base," Fox said.
*1 felt like if we could just get one, it would
really spark the rest of us, and maybe more
would follow.”
Much of North Carolina's inability to score,
though, can be attributed to the two Beaver
hurlers head coach Pat Casey elected to start.
Right-handers Jorge Reyes and Mike Stutes
combined to pitch 11.2 innings, holding the Tar
Heels to just three runs apiece.
“lb win a national championship, you obvi
ously have to have pitching," Tar ITeel shortstop
Josh Horton said. "And they held us to four or
seed in Tar Heel history.
ACC Honors: Coach Sam Paul won
coach of the year Chris Kearney won
freshman of the year
oir
Martin Ureta: The UNC senior
qualified for the 2007 U.S. Open in
Oakmont, Pa.
21st Place finished by the squad in
the NCAA Championships.
HACK AMD n&fi
3: Number of Tar Heeis who received
All-America recognition as Justin
Ryncavage (javelin), Adam Montague
(javelin) and Nick Owens (hammer)
garnered the honor.
Justin Ryncavage: Won his second
straight title to the javelin at the
NCAA Championships.
10th: Overall finish by UNC at ACC
tnamptonsrap
Alex Ray: Crossed the line in 22nd
place at ACC Championships with a
www.daUytarheel.com
less runs both nights. So you haw to give all the
credit in the world to them."
The 57 wins set a single-season team record,
and the Tar Heels are one of three teams to
reach the finals twice since the NCAA went to
the current format in 2003.
“We’ve accomplished some great things," Fox
said. "This is a special place, and I wouldn't
want to end our season anywhere else, hon
estly."
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
HOW THE TAR HEELS FARED IN 2007
time of 2454.0.
soccta
7-8-5: The final record for the Tar
Heels, who went 4-6 in the ACC.
1-0: Score of the ACC semifinal game
in which the Tar Heeis e to Na 1 Wake
Forest in overtime. UNC missed the NCAA
tournament for toe first time since 1998.
WRESTLING
3rd: Place finished in the ACC faing to
win the titie for toe firet time since 2004.
Evan Sola: The two-bme AH-American
won his third ACC tide at 133 pounds
and actonced to NCAA championships.
WOMEN’S SPORTS
2nd: finish by the Tar Heels as a team
in the ACC regular season.
NCAAs: Jennifer Sawicki finished
15th at NCAA Championships, May
Lynne Chen-Contino placed 22nd and
Courtney Krolikoski came in 23rd.
SWIMMING AND OtVINC
8-1: The final record for the Tar Heeis,
who tied for 30th place at NCAA
Championships.
Whitney Sprague: The then-sopho
more was named to the first team All-
ACC. placed 15th in the MX) freestyle
at NCAAs, and also swam on the 800-
yard freestyle relay.
Won: The Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup
Invitational in November.
GOLF
21st finish at NCAA championship for
the Tar Heels, with sophomore Sydney
Crane tying for 81st place overall.
4th: Place at ACC Championships, led
by Katie Miner's sevsnth-pbo? finish.
Lisy Mdntee: The junior was given
second team All-America honors. She
was the third rower to program history
to be named an All-American.
ACC: The varsity four placed sixth in
the conference championship.
Success, injuries
for hoops teams
BY POWELL LATIMER
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
2007 was a year of parallels
for the North Carolina basketball
teams.
Both ended their seasons in the
late stages of the NCAA tourna
ment, and both won ACC tourna
ment championships.
In fact, those similarities con
tinued into the 2007-08 season,
in which injuries have taken away
key members of both teams.
The men's team fell short to
Georgetown in overtime of the
East Regional Final, after best
ing N.C. State a couple of weeks
earlier to win UNC’s 16th ACC
tournament championship.
“I would give every cent I have
right now for my team to be out
there cutting down those nets
and feeling those feelings that
Georgetown’s players are feeling,*
coach Roy Williams said after the
loss on March 25. “But life doesn’t
always go like you want
The women’s team won its
third-straight ACC championship
in 2007 Senior point guard Ivory
Latta led the Tkr Heeb with tour
nament MVP honors, garnering the
award for the third straight time.
In the Final Four of the NCAA
Tournament, the women fell to
Tennessee on April 1 in a hard
fought matchup.
"Tennessee played a good game,
and we did some great things on
HACK AND MUD
Brie Fekwgie: Won a national cham
pionship in the 1,500 meter run with
a time of 4:09.93.
sth: At the ACC championships. UNC
was led by Feinagie’s two ACC cham
pionships in the 1,500 meters and 800
meters
8-3: ACC record for UNC todudtog an
upset of theo-Na 9 Miami.
Sara Ammdsen and Jenna Long:
Took the NCAA doubles tide in May
SOFTBALL
Emily Troup: Sophomore outfielder
named to the All-ACC Tournament
team.
46-21: Final record.
laroevcyf
43: Goals scored by Kristen Taylor,
leading the team as a freshman,
3: IWLCA All-Americans to 2007.
Jem Cook, Christina Juras and Amber
Falcone.
Shr fiatUi Jar H*rl
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2008
"‘SfRw - WRifWi-
DTH FILE/LARRT RAUM
Then-senior Wes Miller helps cut
down the nets after the men’s
basketball team's ACC tourna
ment championship victory.
defense because they shot like
30 percent for the game,’ Erlana
Larkins said that night in Cleveland.
“But they went to the free-throw line
a lot more, and we weren’t getting
calk. Anytime you go to tire free
throw line twice as much or more,
your chances are pretty good."
Both teams came into the 2007-
OS season with bitter memories on
SEE BASKETBALL. PAGE 15
Upsat: Knocked off then-No. 1
Northwestern in their season opener
SOCCER
ACCs: Won 18th ACC championship
tol9years.
Early ending : Third-round exit in the?
NCAA tournament equalled the short
est postseason run ever by UNC.
CROSSCOUNTRY
Brie Feinagie: Placed first at region
als and 11th at the NCAA cross
country championships.
3rd: Overall finish in NCAA
Regionais
ACCs: Placed fourth at ACC champi
onships.
VOLLEYRAU.
15-16: Overall record in 2007, indud
tog a six-m&h winning streak with
out dropping a game.
Brianna Eskota: Was named second
team AB-ACC after tearing the league
in (figs with 648. She was UNCs first AJL
ACC pick store Dani Nyenhus in 2005.