University of North Carolina Athletics
Rachel Dawson, Karen Shelton Headline UNC Honors
November 4, 2004 | Field Hockey
Nov. 4, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - North Carolina sophomore Rachel Dawson was named Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Karen Shelton earned ACC Coach of the Year honors and three other Tar Heels were named All-ACC when field hockey conference accolades were announced Thursday evening in conjunction with the ACC Tournament, hosted by Wake Forest. Joining Dawson on the all-conference team were UNC seniors Kelsey Keeran and Katy Potter and junior Katy Tran.
The Tar Heels, 18-1 overall and ranked No. 2 in the nation, are the top seed in the ACC Tournament and begin play on Friday at 7 p.m. against Wake Forest.
This year marks the first time that the league has awarded separate honors for the top offensive and defensive players. Dawson, who plays midfielder and back for UNC, was the 2003 ACC Rookie of the Year and has started all 19 games this season for the Tar Heels. The Berlin, N.J., native was a standout on both sides of the ball. In addition to pacing the Carolina defense, Dawson has six goals and six assists for 18 points, fourth on the team. Her honor marks the seventh time in conference history that a Tar Heel has earned Player of the Year honors.
The offensive honor went to Wake Forest's Kelly Dostal.
Shelton's award is the seventh of her career, her first since the 2000 season. Her team claimed the regular-season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 4-0 ACC record. She heads into the tournament postseason with a career record of 394-108-9 in her 24th season as UNC's head coach.
Keeran, a forward from Sunbury, Ohio, earned All-ACC honors for the second year in a row. A first-team All-America selection in 2003, she leads UNC in scoring with 17 goals and one assist for 35 points.
Potter, from Emmaus, Pa., is in her first season starting at back for UNC and has four assists on the season. She earned All-ACC honors for the first time in her career.
Tran, a goalkeeper from Grantville, Pa., has allowed just 13 goals in the Tar Heels' 19 games. Her current goals-against average of 0.73 ranks fourth in the nation.
Friday's game will be the third matchup of the season between UNC and Wake. The teams split their regular-season meetings, both of which went to overtime periods. Wake Forest, the fourth seed in the tournament but the No. 1 team in the country, beat Virginia 5-1 in Thursday's play-in game.
The Tar Heels have 14 conference titles to their credit but are looking for their first crown since 1997.
2004 All-Conference Team
Maeke Boreel............................ Wake Forest
Lauren Crandall........................ Wake Forest
Rachel Dawson...................... North Carolina
Kelly Dostal.............................. Wake Forest
Nicole Dudek....................................... Duke
Paula Infante................................ Maryland
Kelsey Keeran........................ North Carolina
Claire Laubach.......................... Wake Forest
Mia Link......................................... Virginia
Hilary Linton....................................... Duke
Katy Potter............................ North Carolina
Lauren Powley.............................. Maryland
Sara Silvetti.................................. Maryland
Katy Tran.............................. North Carolina
2004 ACC Offensive Player of the Year
Kelly Dostal, Wake Forest
2004 ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Rachel Dawson, North Carolina
2004 ACC Coach of the Year
Karen Shelton, North Carolina
