Tar Heels Celebrate Year, Honor Standouts At All-Sports Banquet

April 24, 2006 | General

By: UNC Athletic Communications

April 24, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Members of all 28 North Carolina varsity teams - a total of more than 700 student-athletes - joined with coaches and athletic department administrators to celebrate the Tar Heels' 2005-06 seasons and honor the winners of department, university, conference and NCAA honors at UNC's annual All-Sports Banquet, held Monday evening at the Dean E. Smith Center.

"This banquet lets us recognize some of our most outstanding student-athletes, particularly seniors who have represented North Carolina so well for the last four years," said Dick Baddour, Director of Athletics at UNC. "It also gives us the chance to say thank you to all of our student-athletes for their hard work all year. They continue to make us proud with their academic, athletic and community service achievements."

Pablo Durana and Laura Gerraughty, both members of the North Carolina track and field team, were announced as recipients of this year's Mildred McCaskill Awards, which are presented annually to one male and one female senior student-athlete at UNC who excel in athletics, scholarship and service to the community.

Gerraughty also received the John Lotz Award, which recognizes a student-athlete who has demonstrated a passion to succeed under adverse circumstances, overcoming difficulties while maintaining a positive attitude. The award is named in honor of the former UNC men's basketball assistant coach and assistant athletic director.

Durana, who also competes for the UNC cross country team, was honored as the winner of the Tatum Award, given in memory of former football coach Jim Tatum to a student-athlete who has performed with distinction in his or her sport and contributed to the community through outreach activities.

ACC Top Six for Service Award winners (left to right): Dave Werry (men's lacrosse), Katy Tran (field hockey), Emily Dondero (rowing), Michael Dore (fencing) and Pablo Durana (track/cross country). Not pictured is Kendall High (football).

Jennifer Kling and Steven Piantadosi, both members of the fencing team, were named the winners of ACC Senior Scholar Awards, which go to two student-athletes at each conference school.

Emily Dondero (rowing), Michael Dore (men's fencing), Kendall High (football), Katy Tran (field hockey), Dave Werry (men's lacrosse) and Durana received ACC Top Six for Service Awards, which are given to six student-athletes at each conference school who have shown a commitment to community service and outreach programs. Tran and Werry won the honor for the third year in a row.

Those at the banquet also paid tribute to the recipients of several honors previously announced. Tran was honored for earning an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and she and gymnast Courtney Bumpers were recognized as winners of Atlantic Coast Conference Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarships. Gerraughty was the recipient of an ACC Jim and Pat Thacker Postgraduate Scholarship, and Lindsay Tarpley, a member of the women's soccer team, was recognized as the winner of a Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award.

Also honored were winners of the Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award for 2005-06. Recipients were Jonathan Hovis (baseball), Byron Sanders (men's basketball), Jessica Sell (women's basketball), Pablo Durana (men's cross country), Carol Henry (women's cross country), Steven Piantadosi (men's fencing), Jennifer Kling (women's fencing), Katy Tran (field hockey), Justin Phillips (football), Doug Kingston (men's golf), Romi Irons (women's golf), Mikel Hester (gymnastics), Dave Werry (men's lacrosse), Stephanie Scurachio (women's lacrosse), Lauren Portnow (rowing), Ford Williams (men's soccer), Lindsay Tarpley (women's soccer), Anna Evans (softball), Patrick Woodruff (men's swimming and diving), Lizzy Bruce (women's swimming and diving), Gia Santoro (women's swimming and diving), Brad Pomeroy (men's tennis), Tanja Markovic (women's tennis), Doug Smith (men's track and field), Laura Gerraughty (women's track and field), Camilla Ihenetu (volleyball), Taylor Rayfield (volleyball) and Evan Sola (wrestling).