University of North Carolina Athletics
Price, Sankey Win Patterson Medals
July 15, 2015 | Men's Lacrosse, Women's Tennis
Price is the first women's tennis player to win the Patterson Medal. Sankey is the second men's lacrosse recipient and the first since Jed Prossner in 2005.
Price (Duluth, Ga.) led the Tar Heel women's tennis team to its winningest four-year stretch in program history. UNC went 111-19 in her career, including 46-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, finished atop the ACC regular-season standings three times and posted two Elite Eight and one second place finish in NCAA Tournament play. The Tar Heels won the ITA Indoor National Championship in both 2013 and 2015 and were national runners-up at the 2014 NCAA Championship.
She earned All-America honors in singles as a sophomore and in doubles the following year, and was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2015. She ranks second all-time in singles victories at UNC with 128. Price led the nation in 2015 with 27 dual match singles victories.
“This award speaks volumes to what Caroline Price and our tennis program achieved during her four years,” says Tar Heel women's tennis coach Brian Kalbas. “She was an outstanding player and leader and that all stems from her amazing family.
“It is very exciting for Caroline to be the first recipient from our women's tennis program to win the Patterson Medal,” says Kalbas. “I can't think of a better person to be recognized for such an exclusive honor.”
Sankey (Warminster, Pa.) is Carolina's all-time points leader in lacrosse with 229 and ranks third in both goals (125) and assists (104). A second-team All-America as a senior and a third-team All-America in 2013 and 2014, Sankey teamed with fellow senior attackman Jimmy Bitter to lead the Tar Heels to 47 wins and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Carolina won the ACC championship in 2013, its first in 17 seasons.
Sankey earned All-ACC honors three times, compiled a 53-game point streak that is the second-longest in school history and had 34 multi-goal games. As a senior, he had a career-high 38 assists and registered points in all 17 games. He also earned Academic All-ACC honors and was a USILA Scholar All-America.
“What a wonderful honor for Joey,” says UNC lacrosse coach Joe Breschi. “Becoming the all-time leading scorer in UNC lacrosse history is quite a feat, but Joey's an even better person, leader and student than he is a lacrosse player. I couldn't be happier for him.”
The Patterson Medal is based primarily on athletic accomplishment. The recipients must have played at least three seasons for the Tar Heels. Sportsmanship and leadership are also considered. Dr. Joseph Patterson first presented the medal in 1924 to honor the memory of his brother, John Durand Patterson.
The Patterson family will help present the medals to Price and Sankey at ceremonies during the upcoming school year.
Patterson Medal Winners
1924- Monk McDonald (football, basketball, baseball)
1925- M.D. Bonner (football)
1926- Jack Cobb (basketball)
1927- Ad Warren (football, boxing, wrestling)
1928- Galen Elliott (track)
1929- Henry Satterfield (basketball)
1930- Ray Farris Sr. (football, boxing, baseball)
1931- Henry House (football, baseball)
1932- Staton McIver (football)
1933- Stuart Chandler (football)
1934- Virgil Weathers (basketball)
1935- Harry Williamson (track)
1936- Harry Montgomery (football)
1937- R.D. Buck (football)
1938- Andy Bershak (football, basketball)
1939- George Nethercutt (baseball)
1940- George Stirnweiss (football, baseball)
1941- Paul Severin (football, basketball)
1942- Bobby Gersten (basketball, baseball)
1943- Carlyle Thomas Mangum (track)
1944- Denny Hammond (swimming)
1945- E.B. Schulz (track)
1946- Jim Jordan (basketball)
1947- Walt Pupa (football)
1948- Jim Camp (football
1949- Vic Seixas (tennis)
1950- Charlie Justice (football)
1951- Jimmy Thomas (swimming)
1952- Cecil Milton (swimming and men's tennis)
1953- Chalmers Port (baseball, football)
1954- Miles Gregory (football, wrestling)
1955- Albert Long Jr. (track, football, basketball, baseball)
1956- Jerry Vayda (basketball)
1957- Lennie Rosenbluth (basketball)
1958- Buddy Payne (football)
1959- Dave Scurlock (track)
1960- Jack Cummings (football)
1961- Rip Hawkins (football)
1962- Ray Farris Jr. (football)
1963- Joe Craver (football)
1964- Bill Haywood (baseball, soccer)
1965- Harrison Merrill (swimming)
1966- John Shaw (baseball)
1967- Danny Talbott (football, baseball)
1968- Larry Miller (basketball)
1969- Bill Bunting (basketball)
1970- Charlie Scott (basketball)
1971- Don McCauley (football)
1972- Dennis Wuycik (basketball)
1973- George Karl (basketball)
1974- Tony Waldrop (track)
1975- Charles Waddell (football, track, basketball)
1976- Mitch Kupchak (men's basketball)
1977- Walter Davis (men's basketball)
1978- Phil Ford (men's basketball)
1979- Greg Norris (baseball)
1980- Bonny Brown (women's swimming)
1981- Lawrence Taylor (football), Al Wood (men's basketball)
1982- C.D. Mock (wrestling)
1983- David Drechsler (football)
1984- Sue Walsh (women's swimming)
1985- Ethan Horton (football)
1986- Brad Daugherty (men's basketball)
1987- Kenny Smith (men's basketball)
1988- Rob Koll (wrestling)
1989- Jeff Lebo (men's basketball)
1990- Shannon Higgins (women's soccer)
1991- Sharon Couch (women's track and field)
1992- Dwight Hollier (football)
1993- Kristine Lilly (women's soccer)
1994- Mia Hamm (women's soccer)
1995- Tisha Venturini (women's soccer)
1996- Marcus Jones (football)
1997- Debbie Keller (women's soccer)
1998- Antawn Jamison (men's basketball), Cindy Werley (field hockey)
1999- Ebenezer Ekuban (football), Cindy Parlow (women's soccer)
2000- Lorrie Fair (women's soccer), Tripp Phillips (men's tennis)
2001- Meredith Florance (women's soccer), Brendan Haywood (men's basketball)
2002- Katie Hathaway (women's swimming), Danny Jackson (men's soccer)
2003- Matt Crawford (men's soccer), Laura Greene (volleyball)
2004- Shalane Flanagan (women's track and field and cross country), Nicholas Monroe (men's tennis), Catherine Reddick (women's soccer)
2005- Jed Prossner (men's lacrosse), Alice Schmidt (women's track and field and cross country)
2006- Laura Gerraughty (women's track and field), Andrew Miller (baseball)
2007- Ivory Latta (women's basketball), Heather O'Reilly (women's soccer), Robert Woodard (baseball)
2008- Rachel Dawson (field hockey), Chad Flack (baseball)
2009- Dustin Ackley (baseball), Yael Averbuch (women's soccer), Tyler Hansbrough (men's basketball)
2010- Whitney Engen (women's soccer), Casey Nogueira (women's soccer), Chip Peterson (men's swimming)
2011- Corey Donohoe (women's lacrosse), Mateo Sossah (track and field), T.J. Yates (football)
2012- Katelyn Falgowksi (field hockey), Tyler Zeller (men's basketball)
2013- Kara Cannizzaro (women's lacrosse), Jonathan Cooper (football)
2014- Crystal Dunn (women's soccer), Eric Ebron (football)
2015- Caroline Price (women's tennis), Joey Sankey (men's lacrosse)
Players Mentioned
