The Patterson Medal is one of the most prestigious individual awards available to a UNC student-athlete. The medal not only rewards accomplishments over at least a three-year career, but also sportsmanship and leadership.

For 2021, three Tar Heels received the medal: Michael Carter of the football team, Sara Daavettila of the women’s tennis team, and Katie Hoeg of the women’s lacrosse team.

Michael Carter

Image via Carolina Athletics

Carter finished his career fourth in Carolina history in rushing yards (3,404) and sixth in all-purpose yards (4,710). His average yards per rush of 8.0 in the 2020 season set a new school record.

Carter’s last game in a Tar Heel uniform may have been his best: a 62-26 win over Miami in December when Carter rushed for 308 yards. It marked the second-most yards ever gained on the ground by a Tar Heel player and ranks fourth in ACC history. Carter averaged 12.8 yards per carry against the Hurricanes, breaking his own record he set earlier in the season against Virginia Tech. It was also Carter’s fifth career game rushing for over 150 yards. His two touchdowns against Miami pushed his career total to 28.

Carter graduated from UNC in May and has since been drafted by the New York Jets of the NFL. He is the 37th UNC football player to win the Patterson Medal, and the fourth under head coach Mack Brown.

Sara Daavettila

Image via Carolina Athletics

Daavettila is a four-time ACC tennis champion and a three-time ITA indoor national champion. For each of UNC’s indoor team titles, Daavettila won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award, becoming the first player ever to win that award more than once.

In 2021, Daavettila became the first Tar Heel women’s tennis player to win the Honda Sports Award, which recognizes the national player of the year. She was named an ITA All-American seven times, tying her with Hayley Carter, who also won the Patterson Medal in 2015.

Daavettila finished her career with 149 career singles wins, good for second in UNC history. She won the 2019 ITA singles championship, and was named both ACC Freshman of the Year (2017) and ACC Player of the Year (2021). During her time in Chapel Hill, the women’s tennis program lost only 10 matches and appeared in the NCAA Final Four twice.

She is the third women’s tennis player to win the Patterson Medal.

Katie Hoeg

Hoeg’s 370 career points rank first in the history of UNC’s women’s lacrosse program, and fourth in ACC history. She is the career leader in assists in ACC history and second all-time with 233. The 2021 season saw her dish out 71 assists, best in the nation that year, and just two off the single-season UNC record of 73 she set in 2019.

Hoeg won national player of the year honors in 2020 and was named a first-team All-American three times. During her time in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels compiled a 78-12 record, won four ACC titles and advanced to the Final Four three times. The Tar Heels also compiled a 27-game winning streak during Hoeg’s career, the longest in school history and seventh-longest in NCAA history.

Hoeg received an NCAA post-graduate scholarship in 2021 and will now attend UNC’s School of Dentistry. She is the fourth women’s lacrosse player to win the Patterson Medal.

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