University of North Carolina Athletics
Field Hockey Team Named Progress Energy Performers Of The Week
November 19, 2007 | Field Hockey
Nov. 19, 2007
The NCAA champion UNC field hockey team are the Progress Energy Tar Heels of the Week for November 12-18, 2007. Carolina beat Penn State, 3-0, Sunday to finish the season undefeated and untied at 24-0 for the school's and head coach Karen Shelton's fifth national title. Captains Laree Beans and Rachel Dawson led the Tar Heels to only the fifth perfect season in NCAA field hockey history.
Other nominees:
WHITNEY SPRAGUE
Women's Swimming
Junior, Bronxville, N.Y.
Whitney Sprague turned in one of the most dynamic weekends in ACC swimming history as she swept three individual events and anchored a victorious 800 free relay as North Carolina won the Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup championship. During the weekend, Sprague set an ACC record, two school records, two Nike Cup records and a pool record. She won the 1650-yard freestyle in ACC record time of 15:51.02, breaking the old mark of 15:53.49 set by Virginia's Cara Lane in 2003. That mark was also a pool, Nike Cup and school record time as Sprague finished 45.55 seconds ahead of the No. 2 finisher in the event. Sprague won the 500 freestyle in 4:41.09, breaking her own school record, setting a Nike Cup mark and becoming the third fastest performer in ACC history behind Mitzi Kremer of Clemson (1989) and Cara Lane (2001). Sprague won the 200-yard freestyle in a career best 1:48.36, becoming the sixth best UNC performer in that event in the history of the program. She also anchored UNC's winning 800 freestyle relay which set this year's top ACC time to date at 7:21.34.
WHITNEY ENGEN
Women's Soccer, Forward
Sophomore, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
Engen scored three goals and added an assist as the Tar Heel women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the 26th straight years with wins over High Point 6-1 and UNC Greensboro 3-1 in the opening two rounds of the 2007 NCAA Championship.
TYLER HANSBROUGH
Men's Basketball
Junior, Forward, Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Averaged 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in leading the Tar Heels to wins over Davidson and Iona...had 14 points and 14 rebounds for his 17th career double-double in the 72-68 win at Davidson in the opener...posted a double-double in the first half...had 27 points and nine rebounds (did not play in final nine-plus minutes) in 107-72 win over Iona...shot 11 for 18 from the field and 19 for 25 from the line in the two wins...had nine offensive rebounds.
JUSTIN DOBIES
Wrestling, Heavyweight
Junior, Garfield Heights, Ohio
Now 7-1 on the young season, junior heavyweight Justin Dobies led North Carolina to a split in Saturday's ACC/Big Ten Clash. The Garfield Heights, Ohio, native sealed the Tar Heels' 22-16 win over Purdue with a pin of Roger Vukobratovich in just 1:45 in the dual's final match. He also topped Michigan State's Freddie DeRamus in Carolina's 21-15 loss.
