University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Honored With ACC Awards For Outstanding Service
June 14, 2016 | Football, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Rowing, Volleyball, Swimming & Diving, Carolina Outreach
Each year, the Atlantic Coast Conference honors six individuals or groups at each league school with the ACC Top Six for Service Awards, recognizing exceptional community outreach efforts. The 2015-16 UNC honorees, first announced at the annual Rammy Awards, are:
• The UNC Men's Tennis Team
Through a program called Team IMPACT, the Tar Heels were paired with a 5-year-old who is battling cancer. The team members welcomed their young fan as part of the squad, bonding with him and being inspired by him during the best season in program history.
• Sheila Doyle, Volleyball
As her squad's outreach representative, Doyle organizes a wide range of opportunities for her teammates and then leads the way in participating. In particular, she is a driving force behind student-athlete participation in Bridge Builders, an afterschool program affiliated with the Boys & Girls Club of Chapel Hill.
• Jillian Ferraro, Softball
Ferraro won the award for the second year in a row after continuing to demonstrate an extremely high level of community involvement. She leads the softball team in outreach activities and also organizes her team's “Champions for Change” games, in which individuals with disabilities participate in and are honored with a special game-day experience.
• Abby Fisher and Katie McKay, Women's Swimming & Diving
For the past two years, Fisher and McKay have organized the Carolina Athletics Relay for Life team. They came up with the idea as freshmen and rallied the first Tar Heel team in 2015. The event was again a success in 2016, when Carolina Athletics was the top fund-raising team for the second year in a row.
• Austin Proehl, Football
Proehl is an eager and enthusiastic volunteer and makes frequent trips to read with local elementary school students. Members of the football team visit UNC Hospitals before each home game, and he is always among the group. No matter the opportunity or audience, Proehl brings energy and a positive spirit to the task.
• Stephanie Wangerin, Rowing
In addition to her outreach involvement and leadership throughout the year, Wangerin coordinated her team's fifth-annual “Erg-A-Thon” and the Carolina Athletics “Turn It Pink” Day. She was vital in forming a new partnership with the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, for which the rowing team's event raised more than $6,500 in support of breast cancer research.
Players Mentioned
