The Patterson Medal is one of the most prestigious awards a UNC student can win. Since 1924, it has been given to the most outstanding student-athletes on campus. Recipients of the awards must have played at least three seasons in Chapel Hill and have concluded their playing careers. Sportsmanship and leadership are also taken into consideration.
This year, Carolina’s trio of winners is no surprise: football’s Sam Howell, men’s lacrosse’s Chris Gray and women’s lacrosse’s Jamie Ortega.
Congratulations to our 2022 Patterson Medal Winners! 👏👏👏
🏅 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆
🥍 @UNCMensLacrosse🏅 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗮
🥍 @uncwlax🏅 𝗦𝗮𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹
🏈 @UNCFootball📰 » https://t.co/7fRFQMBGZe#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/SXh2xEDc7u
— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) July 14, 2022
Sam Howell
Image via USA Today Sports
Howell started at quarterback in all three of his seasons at Carolina, missing just one game due to injury. He led the Tar Heels to three straight bowl games after the program had missed the postseason entirely the previous two years. He earned second team All-ACC honors as a sophomore, third team honors as a freshman and was honorable mention as a junior.
According to UNC, Howell set at least 27 single-game, single-season and career UNC records. Among those records are the all-time mark for total offense, passing yards and passing touchdowns. Howell threw at least one touchdown pass in all 37 of his games played, threw at least two touchdowns 27 times and at least three touchdowns 17 times. His best game was a 550-yard, six-touchdown performance against Wake Forest in 2020. Howell also rushed for a score in the game, giving him a school-record seven total touchdowns.
Howell graduated from UNC in May, and has since been selected by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He joins former Tar Heels Cole Holcomb and Dyami Brown on Washington’s roster.
Said head coach Mack Brown of Howell, “We love and appreciate him not just for his football accomplishments, but for who he is as a person and what he stands for. Our program is so much better off thanks to Sam Howell being a part of it.”
Chris Gray
Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini
Gray is one of the most talented players in the history of Carolina’s program, and has the numbers to back it up. After transferring to Carolina from Boston University before the 2020 season, Gray rewrote the men’s lacrosse record books in Chapel Hill. In just three seasons as a Tar Heel, he is second in school history in points and fourth in both goals and assists. He was named a first team All-American in each of his three seasons with UNC, and a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award (given to the most outstanding player in collegiate lacrosse) twice. He is Carolina’s only two-time Tewaaraton finalist.
In 2022, Gray’s 48 goals and 32 assists were both tops on his team, and he was named the ACC Offensive Player and Player of the Year for his efforts. Incredibly, the output was actually a dip from his record-breaking 2021 season, in which he scored 49 goals and dished out 42 assists for a UNC single-season record of 91 points. Gray led the Tar Heels to the Final Four that season, and was named the ACC Men’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In his final game as a Tar Heel, Gray set the all-time NCAA men’s lacrosse scoring record, netting three goals to go along with three assists to give him 401 career points. He has since been selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the Premier Lacrosse League draft.
While his athletic career at UNC is over, Gray is still planning to finish his MBA at the Kenan-Flagler Business School next spring.
“I’m beyond thrilled for Chris receiving the Patterson Medal,” said head coach Joe Breschi. “It is a well-deserved honor for a young man who balanced academics and athletics… he is an extraordinary leader.”
Jamie Ortega
Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
Ortega’s accomplishments at UNC are perhaps unmatched in the history of the women’s lacrosse program. The star attacker played in four Final Fours during her five seasons at Carolina. The only season she didn’t? The entire tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 92 career games, Ortega’s Tar Heels went 83-9, including winning an astonishing 49 of 50 games in her final three seasons.
Ortega is UNC’s career leader in goals and points, and is second all-time in assists. Her 466 career points are the most in ACC history and the second-most in NCAA history. Her 5.12 points per game are the most in school history, almost a full point above second place. Ortega scored at least one goal in 54 of her final 56 games, multiple goals in 80 games and at least five goals in 31 games. She started every game she played as a Tar Heel, setting school records in both games and starts (91).
Among Ortega’s laundry list of accolades: 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year, three-time All-ACC honoree, two-time ACC Tournament MVP, two-time Tewaaraton finalist and four-time first team All-American (Ortega was named a third team All-American as a freshman, and is the only five-time All-American in UNC history). She received the Honda Sport Award as the most outstanding player in women’s lacrosse for 2022. But perhaps Ortega’s most valued accolade is the 2022 national championship, in which the Tar Heels completed a perfect 22-0 season to win the program’s third title.
“We are so grateful Jamie is being recognized with the Patterson Medal,” said head coach Jenny Levy. “She is a consummate winner; her consistency of excellence during her collegiate career and the impact she had on our program are unparalleled.”
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.
