It was a banner weekend for Carolina athletics, punctuated by the UNC women’s tennis program’s third consecutive indoor national title and sixth overall. Almost every UNC winter sport was in action, and multiple student-athletes brought in awards for their performances.

In women’s tennis, Fiona Crawley was named ACC Player of the Week, while teammate Carson Tanguilig took home Freshman of the Week honors. Crawley went undefeated in singles play during the ITA championship, and won the clinching matches in victories over No. 11 Ohio State and No. 7 Virginia. Tanguilig also won each of her singles matches, including a critical three-set victory in the championship against Oklahoma. Tanguilig fought back from a loss in the first set to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

On the men’s side, Brian Cernoch and Mac Kiger were named the ACC Doubles Team of the Week, following Carolina’s upset win over No. 13 South Carolina on Sunday. Cernoch and Kiger went undefeated in doubles last week, with a win over Wofford followed by a win over the No. 7 doubles team in the nation against the Gamecocks. Cernoch and Kiger now have two top-10 wins under their belts this season. This is the second time they’ve been named Doubles Team of the Week.

Redshirt freshman wrestler Gavin Kane took home Co-Wrestler of the Week honors from the ACC, despite Carolina’s loss on Friday at Virginia Tech. Kane was a bright spot for head coach Coleman Scott and the Tar Heels, taking down the Hokies’ Hunter Bolen, who was ranked No. 10 in the country in his weight class. It was the highest-ranked win of Kane’s career. He is now 15-2 overall this season and has won 11 matches in a row.

In track & field, graduate Anna Keefer was named Co-Performer of the Week for her showings at the Tiger Paw Invite at Clemson. Keefer set personal bests in both the long jump and 200 meters. Her jump of 21 feet and 2.5 inches is the eighth-best mark in the NCAA this season and just a centimeter away from an all-time UNC record. Keefer did set a school record in the 200 meters, clocking in at 23.24 seconds. That time is tied for 13th in the nation.

The most decorated player on the UNC men’s lacrosse team got some more hardware for his personal trophy case. Following wins over Richmond and Colgate, graduate attackman Chris Gray was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week. Gray scored seven goals and dished out five assists between the two games. It’s the sixth time Gray has won Offensive Player of the Week in his career, though the preseason National Player of the Year has his sights set on bigger prizes in 2022.

It should come as no surprise to those who’ve followed the program, but freshmen Lali Dekanoidze and Julia Knower once again took home weekly honors from the East Atlantic Gymnastics League. Dekanoidze won the EAGL’s Gymnast of the Week title for the fourth time this season, while Knower was named Freshman of the Week for a second time.

Dekanoidze won yet another all-around title in Carolina’s dual meet against Temple on Saturday, setting a new career-high with a 39.550 score. That score is the best from any gymnast in the EAGL this season and seventh-best in the nation among freshmen. Dekanoidze also set a career-high on bars with a 9.95, which was EAGL’s highest score of the week in that event. Dekanoidze is currently ranked No. 1 in the conference on bars.

Knower wasn’t far behind, scoring a 39.250 all-around score against the Owls. She scored her second-straight 9.90 on beam in UNC’s victory. Knower is ranked as the No. 5 all-around gymnast in the EAGL.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

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 Lacrosse Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Polls
The defending national champions are still No. 1. The UNC women’s lacrosse team received the top spot in the Nike/USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse preseason polls. Carolina is coming off an undefeated 2022 season which ended in a national championship. Picking up right where we left off. 📰 » https://t.co/3apzZtndHv pic.twitter.com/a4ZSYsBKCN — UNC Women's Lacrosse […]
UNC Lacrosse and Tennis Athletes Earn More Weekly Recognition
While the main focus of almost all Carolina fans was on basketball this past weekend, several other UNC programs continued to showcase outstanding performances. Three of those programs saw one of their student-athletes earn weekly recognition on both a conference and national level. More ACC honors for Brian Cernoch & Mac Kiger, whose huge doubles […]
Chris Gray and Brian Cernoch Named ACC Players of the Week
Two standout UNC student-athletes earned Player of the Week honors from the ACC Tuesday afternoon. Brian Cernoch of the men’s tennis team and Chris Gray of the men’s lacrosse team each took home the weekly awards. 👏 Big props to ACC Player of the Week Brian Cernoch!https://t.co/znNapa1ALV#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/RXRyoaEyK7 — Carolina Men's Tennis 🐏🎾 (@carolinatennis) March […]
UNC Women's Tennis Wins, Men Lose in 1st Round of NCAA Tournament
The No. 4 overall seed UNC women’s tennis team cruised in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, defeating Navy 4-0. A pair of 6-1 wins in doubles secured the early 1-0 advantage for Carolina, and the team was just as dominant in singles. Tar […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams Both Earn NCAA Tournament Bids
The UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will each go dancing this spring, as both Tar Heel sides earned bids to the NCAA Tournament on Monday. The women, having earned an automatic bid by virtue of winning the ACC Tournament title, are the No. 4 overall seed in the field and will host Navy in […]
Chansky's Notebook: Common Denominator
It is no coincidence that two terrific UNC programs used their new home facilities to recruit great players and win trophies.
Chansky's Notebook: All Love Weekend
Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler. The UNC women capped a perfect opening to their new home. The nation’s top-ranked women’s tennis team (31-1) bounced back from its only loss […]
'We're Gonna Build It the Right Way': New UNC Tennis Center Ready For NCAA Action
UNC's new outdoor facility, the Chewning Tennis Center, appears to have everything a collegiate tennis program would want.
UNC Tennis Teams Earn National Seeds in NCAA Championships; Several Individuals Also Qualify
The UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams will both compete in their respective NCAA Championships this month, and both will do so with a national seed. The women’s program earned the No. 1 overall seed for the third season in a row, while the men earned the No. 16 overall seed. The women’s program enters […]
UNC Men's and Women's Tennis Teams Headed to ITA National Championships
Both the UNC men’s and women’s tennis teams won their respective ITA Kickoff events in Chapel Hill over the weekend, meaning both have earned a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February. The women’s team, still undefeated on the season and ranked No. 2 in the ITA poll, easily defeated Maryland on […]
›