University of North Carolina Athletics
Matson Tabbed For Garber Award As ACC Female Athlete Of The Year
May 20, 2020 | Field Hockey
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Erin Matson, a sophomore forward for the UNC field hockey team, has been selected as the recipient of the 2019-20 Mary Garber Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year. She's the youngest player ever to win the honor – all of the winners up to now had been juniors or seniors – and gives the Carolina field hockey program back-to-back winners, as Ashley Hoffman was the recipient for 2018-19.
Matson, the 2019 National Player of the Year and Honda Sport Award winner, is the ninth Tar Heel to win the honor on the 10th occasion. Aside from Hoffman, UNC's Garber Award winners have all been from the women's soccer program, including two-time recipient Mia Hamm (1993, 1994).
Clemson's Robbie Robinson, the MAC Hermann Trophy winner and the top selection in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft earned the Anthony J. McKevlin Award as the ACC Male Athlete of the Year.
The ACC Athlete of the Year Awards are given in memory of distinguished journalists. McKevlin was a sports editor of the Raleigh (North Carolina) News and Observer, while Garber, of the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, was a pioneer as one of the first female sports journalists in the nation.
"This is an incredible honor for Erin, and also really special for our program to have back-to-back winners," UNC head coach Karen Shelton said. "It's fitting that she's the first sophomore ever to win this award – she displays so much maturity on a daily basis. She such a dynamic, explosive and creative player and we're thrilled she's a Tar Heel."
Matson, from Chadds Ford, Pa., led the nation in points and goals per game in 2019 as she paced the Tar Heels to a second consecutive 23-0 season and NCAA title. For the second year in a row she earned first-team All-America honors and was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
An advertising and public relations major, Matson also earned All-ACC and All-ACC Academic honors.
"I am so grateful to be the recipient of this year's Garber Award," Matson said. "With the circumstances right now, it makes me think about and miss all of the hard work my teammates, our staff, and I put in over the past year to make this possible. I couldn't imagine receiving it while representing any other university than the one and only Carolina, and it's just another factor that excites me for the upcoming season."
Matson ranked second on UNC's all-time single-season list with 33 goals and 81 points despite missing three regular-season games while competing with the U.S. National Team in India. She was voted the 2019 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring four goals in the NCAA semifinal and two more in the national championship game.
Matson received 42 votes to lead the Garber Award balloting, while Louisville's All-ACC women's basketball standout Dana Evans received 12 votes to place second.
UNC student-athletes have won the Garber Award more times than those at any other school. The Tar Heels' 10 honors are followed by former ACC member Maryland with seven, Duke with five, Virginia with three, Notre Dame and Wake Forest with two each, and Boston College and Virginia Tech with one each.
Matson, the 2019 National Player of the Year and Honda Sport Award winner, is the ninth Tar Heel to win the honor on the 10th occasion. Aside from Hoffman, UNC's Garber Award winners have all been from the women's soccer program, including two-time recipient Mia Hamm (1993, 1994).
Clemson's Robbie Robinson, the MAC Hermann Trophy winner and the top selection in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft earned the Anthony J. McKevlin Award as the ACC Male Athlete of the Year.
The ACC Athlete of the Year Awards are given in memory of distinguished journalists. McKevlin was a sports editor of the Raleigh (North Carolina) News and Observer, while Garber, of the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, was a pioneer as one of the first female sports journalists in the nation.
"This is an incredible honor for Erin, and also really special for our program to have back-to-back winners," UNC head coach Karen Shelton said. "It's fitting that she's the first sophomore ever to win this award – she displays so much maturity on a daily basis. She such a dynamic, explosive and creative player and we're thrilled she's a Tar Heel."
Three cheers for @erinmatsonn, the Mary Garber Award winner as ACC Women's Athlete of the Year 👏👏👏🏑
We're so proud of you, Erin!
📰 ➡️ https://t.co/VYgxTIcVK1#GoHeels | #TogetherWeWin pic.twitter.com/THY1aDX8Mm
— UNC Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) May 20, 2020
Matson, from Chadds Ford, Pa., led the nation in points and goals per game in 2019 as she paced the Tar Heels to a second consecutive 23-0 season and NCAA title. For the second year in a row she earned first-team All-America honors and was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
An advertising and public relations major, Matson also earned All-ACC and All-ACC Academic honors.
"I am so grateful to be the recipient of this year's Garber Award," Matson said. "With the circumstances right now, it makes me think about and miss all of the hard work my teammates, our staff, and I put in over the past year to make this possible. I couldn't imagine receiving it while representing any other university than the one and only Carolina, and it's just another factor that excites me for the upcoming season."
Matson ranked second on UNC's all-time single-season list with 33 goals and 81 points despite missing three regular-season games while competing with the U.S. National Team in India. She was voted the 2019 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring four goals in the NCAA semifinal and two more in the national championship game.
Matson received 42 votes to lead the Garber Award balloting, while Louisville's All-ACC women's basketball standout Dana Evans received 12 votes to place second.
UNC student-athletes have won the Garber Award more times than those at any other school. The Tar Heels' 10 honors are followed by former ACC member Maryland with seven, Duke with five, Virginia with three, Notre Dame and Wake Forest with two each, and Boston College and Virginia Tech with one each.
Players Mentioned
Midfield/Back
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Forward
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