UNC announced Tuesday that men’s basketball standout Luke Maye and field hockey star Ashley Hoffman are the winners of this year’s Patterson Medals, which is the most prestigious athletic achievement awarded by the school.
The Patterson Medal focuses on career athletic achievements, and winners must have spent at least three years playing for the Tar Heels.
Maye was a part of 121 wins and played a key role in helping UNC win the 2017 national championship with his famous last-second shot against Kentucky that sent the Tar Heels to the Final Four that year.
He was named a Third Team All-American as a junior, and would go on to become the first UNC player to end his career with 1,300 points, 900 rebounds and 100 made three-pointers.
Ashley Hoffman caps her storied UNC career with a Patterson Medal. (Photo via UNC Athletics)
The Huntersville native–a former walk-on–also tied a school record by playing in 59 ACC victories and the 750 rebounds he accumulated over his final two seasons set a school record for total rebounds in consecutive seasons.
“I am extremely honored to receive this incredible award,” Maye said. “Carolina has meant so much to me and provided me so many great opportunities. I did my best each day, each class, each practice and in each game to give all I had to represent the university and Tar Heel basketball the way they should be viewed, which is the best.”
In field hockey, Hoffman helped lead UNC to an undefeated season and a national championship this past season–while also earning National and ACC Player of the Year honors.
She became the first NCAA field hockey player ever to to win National and ACC Player of the Year honors and NCAA and ACC Tournament MVP awards in the same season.
Hoffman was a three-time All-ACC selection, started all 96 games in her career and helped UNC win three ACC championships.
“I was so surprised and honored to hear that I’d won the Patterson Medal,” Hoffman said. “”I knew when I decided to come to North Carolina that I was going to be part of an extremely successful tradition, and that proved true throughout my time in Chapel Hill. To now be recognized as a winner of the Patterson Medal is amazing. I’m so proud to be a UNC graduate and I’ll always be part of the Carolina family. “
Photo via Todd Melet
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