UNC Staff Again Honored As Nation's Best

For the second year in a row, the North Carolina field hockey coaching staff has been honored as the nation's top Division I staff. And with good reason: it's also the second year in a row the Tar Heel coaches have guided the team to NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference championships and an undefeated season.

"Speaking on behalf of the whole staff, we're so honored by this," UNC head coach Karen Shelton said. "It's a reflection of how hard the team worked this season, and how well we all worked together. We've got an outstanding staff together right now – we all complement each other and focus on different aspects to be sure we're doing everything we can to help the team succeed."

UNC is just the second program in Division I history to accomplish back-to-back perfect seasons, on the third occasion. Old Dominion is the only other program to do it and the Monarchs have done so on two occasions, most recently in 1991 and 1992.

The Tar Heel coaching staff is made up of Shelton, associate head coach Grant Fulton, assistant coach Robbert Schenk, volunteer assistant coach Jackie Briggs and performance analyst Chris Fry.

The honor, known as the Spiideo/NFHCA National Coaching Staff of the Year Award, was announced Thursday evening at the National Field Hockey Coaches Association convention in Lake Mary, Fla.

The 2019 Tar Heels completed a second-consecutive 23-0 season, winning the program's eighth national title and 22^nd conference crown, all under Shelton, who is in her 39^th season at the program's helm. Fulton is in his 15^thyear, Briggs in her second and Schenk and Fry are in their first.

This is the third year that the NFHCA has honored a staff of the year instead of just a head coach, an honor Shelton has won on five occasions (1994, 1995, 1996, 2007, 2009).

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