UNC star attacker Jamie Ortega was announced as the winner of the Honda Sport Award for women’s lacrosse Tuesday. The award is given annually by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards to the top women athletes in 12 sports who signify “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.”
“I am honored to have been chosen for this year’s Honda Sports Award for Lacrosse,” Ortega said in a statement. “To be selected from this amazing group of finalists is truly gratifying. I am part of an incredible team sport and receive this along with the teammates who I’ve shared my accomplishments with, and I am both humbled and grateful to have been chosen.”
Administrators from more than 1,000 NCAA member schools voted for the award, and Ortega was chosen over a group of finalists which included teammate Ally Mastroianni.
During her career at UNC, Ortega was named a first team All-American four times in five years. The women’s lacrosse team compiled a record of 49-1 in Ortega’s final three seasons (including the shortened 2020 season), and won the program’s third national championship with a perfect 22-0 record in 2022. Ortega set an NCAA championship game record with five assists in the win against No. 3 Boston College on Memorial Day weekend.
For the 2022 season, Ortega finished as UNC’s leader in goals (69), assists (44) and points (113). She is also the current ACC leader with 466 career points, which ranks second in NCAA history. Her 334 career goals are most in Carolina history.
“We are so grateful that Jamie is being recognized with the prestigious Honda Award,” said head coach Jenny Levy. “We cannot think of a more deserving student-athlete. Throughout her time in Chapel Hill, Jamie excelled at the highest level and continued to grow as a player and teammate. A consummate winner, her consistency of excellence during her collegiate career and the impact she had on our program is unparalleled.”
This is the third straight year a Tar Heel has won the Honda Sport Award, after Sara Daavettila (tennis) won in 2021 and Erin Matson (field hockey) won in 2021 and 2020.
Because of her win, Ortega will be a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2022 Honda Cup, which will be presented on June 27.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹

UNC Women's Sports Programs Win 2024-25 Capital One CupUNC has been named the winner of the 2024-25 Capital One Cup, awarded annually to the most successful women’s athletic program of the season. The winner is determined by accumulating points in a combination of NCAA championship wins and major poll finishes. Four women’s sports programs at UNC – field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and tennis […]

Check Out the Complete Schedule for UNC's 'ACC Network Takeover' July 8The ACC Network will feature 24 hours of Tar Heel highlights from the 2024-25 athletic year Tuesday as part of its annual “ACC Network Takeover.” Programming begins at midnight and lasts through 11:59 p.m. Featured games include the women’s basketball team’s win against No. 10 NC State at Carmichael Arena back in February. Those who […]

UNC's Chloe Humphrey Wins Honda Sport Award for LacrosseUNC star freshman Chloe Humphrey has been named the 2025 winner of the Honda Sport Award for lacrosse. The Honda Sport Award honors the national players of the year in all collegiate women’s sports. Honda Humphrey 🤌 Chloe Humphrey is this year’s winner of the Honda Sport Award for Lacrosse! pic.twitter.com/VctEuZGEEB — UNC Women's Lacrosse […]

Just How Good Was UNC Women's Lacrosse in 2025? Here Are the NumbersThe UNC women’s lacrosse team finished off a perfect season by beating No. 3 Northwestern 12-8 to win its fourth national championship this past weekend. It’s UNC’s second perfect season in the last four years. The 22-0 overall record alone is impressive. But there are several other statistics which speak to just how dominant the […]

Chansky's Notebook: Tar Heel TrifectaIt was hard to leave the TV screen on a scintillating Sunday across UNC women's lacrosse, baseball and golf.

UNC Women's Lacrosse Beats No. 3 Northwestern to Win 4th National ChampionshipJenny Levy and the Tar Heels are back on top. No. 1 UNC completed its second undefeated season in four years with a 12-8 win against No. 3 Northwestern in the national championship game Sunday afternoon in Foxboro, MA. It’s the fourth NCAA title in program history. The Dream Is Now Reality 🏆 Your Tar […]

Huge Run Helps UNC Women's Lacrosse Crush No. 4 Florida in NCAA SemifinalsCarolina is national championship-bound. No. 1 UNC scored 18 unanswered goals across the second, third and fourth quarters against No. 4 Florida in the NCAA semifinals in Foxboro, MA Friday afternoon, and the Tar Heels overcame an early deficit to cruise to a 20-4 win. On to the ‘Ship 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Sm4Ug112z4 — UNC Women's Lacrosse […]

UNC Women's Lacrosse in the National Championship: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start TimeThe UNC women’s lacrosse team will continue its pursuit of a fourth national championship when it travels to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA for the NCAA Final Four this weekend. Carolina will face No. 3 Northwestern in the national title game Sunday. The Tar Heels are 21-0 and are the consensus No. 1 team in […]

UNC Women's Lacrosse Rolls Past Princeton, Advances to NCAA SemifinalsUNC scored eight unanswered goals across the first and second quarters on its way to a 19-10 win against Princeton in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday night at Dorrance Field. Carolina is now Final Four-bound for the third time in the last five seasons and 14th time overall. To The Final Four We Go 🚀 pic.twitter.com/meYJk0nP1s […]

Art's Angle: Women's WorldThis past weekend was about the young women who make Carolina great in so many ways, particularly on the fields and courts. On Friday, the tennis Tar Heels defeated N.C. State for the third time this season, and this one was tougher than beating the Wolfpack in the regular season and the ACC tournament semifinals. […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines