Greene Named ACC Women's Indoor Field Performer Of The Year
March 16, 2018 | Track & Field
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The University of North Carolina's Nicole Greene was named the ACC Women's Indoor Field Performer of The Year, announced by the league Friday.
This is the 11th time a Tar Heel woman has earned an ACC postseason indoor honor and the first time since Laura Gerraughty in 2004 when she was the co-ACC Women's performer of the year with Chaunte Howard of Georgia Tech (the league began honoring one field and one track performer in 2007).
"We are delighted that Nicole has been selected by the conference's head coaches for this honor," head coach Harlis Meaders said. "We feel like she has done a fantastic job and definitely deserves the recognition. She has been a highlight for our program all year by leading the conference, staying among the top three jumpers in the country all season and then winning the national championship in such a dramatic fashion. I think she has definitely earned the award. Coach [Nicole] Hudson has done a fantastic job prepping her, and we are excited for her to join this group of award winners."
Greene, a junior from Ponte Vedra, Fla., ranked in the top three in the country in the high jump and led the conference by at least four inches all season long. Greene went on to easily capture her first conference title in the event at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships before winning the indoor high jump national title in an epic seven-round jump off with Cincinnati's Loretta Blaut.
Greene was the only woman in the ACC to win a national title at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships this season and one of only two individual athletes from the entire conference to capture an NCAA title - Syracuse's Justyn Knight won the men's 5,000 meters.
She became just the second woman from the conference to win the NCAA indoor high jump title - UNC's Shenna Gordon also won the event in 2006 - and the first national champion for Carolina since 2007.
"It's the culmination of this amazing, whirlwind season," assistant coach Nicole Hudson said. "At the beginning of the year, I had my event group write down their three goals for the year, and her three goals were to win ACCs, win NCAAs and kick butt. I sent her a text of those goals Monday and said, 'Well, looks like mission accomplished.' This is a great cherry on the top of a dream season. It's a blessing. We definitely thank God, her parents and all of the people who really made this happen. It was a team effort. It takes a village, and there was definitely a village involved with all of her success."Â
Greene now joins an esteemed list of seven other Tar Heels that have earned the ACC postseason honor - Sharon Couch (1988, 1990), Kim Austin (1989), Penny Blackwell (1991), LaTasha Colander (1995, 1997, 1998), DeAnne Davis (2000), Shalane Flanagan (2002) and Laura Gerraughty (2003, 2004).
"I'm really happy that I was able to accomplish this now because of all of the work that I have put it," Greene said. "I'm still soaking it in. I feel like I wont't truly understand what I did until I get back to practice on Monday or when I am back at school. I have to thank everyone that has supported me and all of the prayers that they sent. I feel honored because I still feel like I don't understand the magnitude of what I did. I just thank God for me being able to do it and accomplish the goals that I've had since I came to school freshman year."
ALL AWARDS
ACC Men's Indoor Track Performer of the Year – Justyn Knight, Syracuse
ACC Women's Indoor Track Performer of the Year – Elly Henes, NC State
ACC Men's Indoor Field Performer of the Year – Josh Davis, NC State
ACC Women's Indoor Field Performer of the Year – Nicole Greene, North Carolina
ACC Men's Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year – Trey Cunningham, Florida State
ACC Women's Indoor Freshman of the Year – Lisa Gunnarsson, Virginia Tech
ACC Men's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year – Bob Braman, Florida State
ACC Women's Indoor Coach of the Year – Bob Braman, Florida State
Players Mentioned
