In a field hockey season dominated by the Tar Heels, it was only right the No. 1 team in the land would dominate the ACC’s yearly awards as well. Four members of the team were recognized: Erin Matson won Offensive Player of the Year for an unprecedented fifth straight season, Meredith Sholder won Defensive Player of the Year, Ryleigh Heck won Freshman of the Year and Karen Shelton shared Coach of the Year honors with Wake Forest’s Jennifer Averill.
ACC Players of the Year 🤩
🏑 OFFENSE
Erin Matson, North Carolina🏑 DEFENSE
Meredith Sholder, North Carolina🏑 FRESHMAN
Ryleigh Heck, North Carolina🏑 CO-COACH
Karen Shelton, North Carolina🏑 CO-COACH
Jennifer Averill, Wake Forest📰: https://t.co/qqV40M5lpL pic.twitter.com/3A5ZHwUMdW
— ACC Field Hockey (@ACCFieldHockey) October 31, 2022
Matson, Sholder and Heck were each also named to the All-ACC first team. Freshmen Sietske Brüning and Ashley Sessa were both named to the second team.
Matson is the first five-time ACC Player of the Year in any sport and is the league’s all-time scoring leader with 321 points and counting. She won ACC Offensive Player of the Week five times and National Offensive Player of the Week three times this season.
Sholder has anchored a Carolina defense which allowed just 14 goals in 15 games and posted eight shutouts. She was also named National Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season.
Heck ranks in the nation’s top 10 in scoring and was named National Player of the Week earlier in October. She is UNC’s second-leading goal-scorer this season behind Matson with 13.
“I’m really proud of Erin, Meredith and Ryleigh – these individual honors are a testament to the outstanding seasons they’ve had and the impact they make on our team,” Shelton said. “I’m also thrilled to see Ashley Sessa and Sietske Brüning named to the second team. But all of them will tell you that they couldn’t have the success that they have without their teammates – every win and every award is a team effort, and these honors are a reflection on the hard work put in by our whole squad. And they all know there’s lots of work left to be done.”
Shelton’s honor is the 12th in her illustrious career. She is the all-time winningest coach in the history of collegiate field hockey with 739 victories. UNC’s perfect regular season is the program’s third in the last five years, and the Tar Heels are seeking their sixth consecutive conference tournament championship this week.
“We are so lucky to have such an amazing and empowering woman as our leader,” Matson said. “It’s been five years of her shaping me to be the best player and person I can be, and this season has been no different. Her accolades as a coach are tremendous but the way she has changed all of her players’ lives forever is even more astonishing. She deserves this!”
The Tar Heels enter the ACC Tournament as the top seed. They will face the winner of Syracuse and Boston College in the semifinals on Wednesday. The tournament is being played on the campus of Duke University in Durham.
Featured image via UNC Field Hockey on Twitter
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