University of North Carolina Athletics
Brüning, Matson and Heck (left to right) are among the Tar Heels who earned ACC honors.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Tar Heels Lead ACC Field Hockey Honors
October 31, 2022 | Field Hockey
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina senior forward Erin Matson earned Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors for a record-setting fifth time, and three other Tar Heels are recipients of 2022 ACC Field Hockey season awards announced Monday.
Tar Heel senior midfielder Meredith Sholder was recognized as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, while forward Ryleigh Heck was selected as the conference's Freshman of the Year. UNC's Karen Shelton and Wake Forest's Jennifer Averill, whose teams are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in this week's ACC Field Hockey Championship, were selected as the league's Co-Coaches of the Year.
ACC season awards, along with the 2022 All-ACC Field Hockey Team also announced on Monday, were determined by a vote of the league's seven head coaches. The last time Tar Heels won all four league honors was in 2018, when Matson was both the Freshman of the year and the Offensive Player of the Year.
Matson, Sholder and Heck were voted to the All-ACC first team. Carolina freshmen Sietske Brüning and Ashley Sessa were named to the All-ACC second team, giving the Tar Heels a total of five honorees across the two teams. Wake Forest also had five players honored, and each of the ACC's seven teams had at least two players recognized.
"I'm really proud of Erin, Meredith and Ryleigh – these individual honors are a testament to the outstanding seasons they've had and the impact they make on our team," Shelton said. "I'm also thrilled to see Ashley Sessa and Sietske Brüning named to the second team. But all of them will tell you that they couldn't have the success that they have without their teammates – every win and every award is a team effort, and these honors are a reflection on the hard work put in by our whole squad. And they all know there's lots of work left to be done."
As the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, UNC received a first-round bye and will open play in the semifinals on Wednesday against the winner of the quarterfinals matchup between No. 4 Boston College and No. 5 Syracuse.
For a look at the bracket, click here.
Shelton, college field hockey's all-time winningest coach with 739 career victories, guided the Tar Heels to a 15-0 regular-season record and a 6-0 mark in ACC play. UNC will enter postseason play as the only remaining unbeaten NCAA Division I Field Hockey team. The Tar Heels will be seeking their sixth consecutive ACC Field Hockey Championship and the 25th overall under Shelton's watch.
The ACC Coach of the Year honor is Shelton's 12th overall and first since 2020, when she led UNC to its ninth national title.
"We are so lucky to have such an amazing and empowering woman as our leader," Matson said. "It's been five years of her shaping me to be the best player and person I can be, and this season has been no different. Her accolades as a coach are tremendous but the way she has changed all of her players' lives forever is even more astonishing. She deserves this!"
Matson becomes the ACC's first five-time conference Player of the Year in any sport. She enters the ACC Championship as the league's all-time leading scorer with 321 career points.
Matson has been recognized as the ACC Offensive Player of the Week five times this fall and earned National Offensive Player of the Week from the NFHCA three times.
Sholder, who picked up one NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week honor this fall in addition to ACC accolades, is a key part of a Tar Heel defense that has allowed just 14 goals in 15 games (five in six conference games) while posting eight shutouts
Heck ranks 10th in the nation in scoring and earned NFHCA National Player of the Week honors on Oct. 19 after delivering a hat trick to lead the Tar Heels to an ACC win over Syracuse. She followed with another three-goal showing a few days later against Saint Joseph's and enters the ACC Championship having scored 28 points on 13 goals and two assists.
2022 All-ACC Field Hockey Team
First Team
Margo Carlin, F, Sr., Boston College
Hannah Miller, F, Sr., Duke
Sasha Elliott, GK, Gr., Louisville
Julie Kouijzer, B, Sr., Louisville
Ryleigh Heck, F, Fr., North Carolina
Erin Matson, F, Sr., North Carolina
Meredith Sholder, M, Sr., North Carolina
Quirine Comans, F, Gr., Syracuse
Daniela Mendez Trendler, M, Fr., Virginia
Annie McDonough, F, Gr., Virginia
Sky Caron, B, Gr., Wake Forest
Meike Lanckohr, M, Sr., Wake Forest
Second Team
Sarah Johnson, M/B, Gr., Boston College
Charlie van Oirschot, M, Jr., Duke
Aimee Plumb, F, Jr., Louisville
Sietske Brüning, M, Fr., North Carolina
Ashley Sessa, M, Fr., North Carolina
Charlotte de Vries, F, Sr., Syracuse
Jannemijn Deutman, M, Fr., Syracuse
Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, B, Jr., Syracuse
Adele Iacobucci, M, Sr., Virginia
Jet Trimborn, GK, Fr., Virginia
Grace Delmotte, M, Jr., Wake Forest
Nat Friedman, M, Sr., Wake Forest
Ellie Todd, GK, Fr., Wake Forest
ACC Offensive Player of the Year
Erin Matson, F, Sr., North Carolina
ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Meredith Sholder, M, Sr., North Carolina
ACC Freshman of the Year
Ryleigh Heck, F, Fr., North Carolina
ACC Co-Coaches of the Year
Karen Shelton, North Carolina
Jennifer Averill, Wake Forest
Tar Heel senior midfielder Meredith Sholder was recognized as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, while forward Ryleigh Heck was selected as the conference's Freshman of the Year. UNC's Karen Shelton and Wake Forest's Jennifer Averill, whose teams are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in this week's ACC Field Hockey Championship, were selected as the league's Co-Coaches of the Year.
ACC season awards, along with the 2022 All-ACC Field Hockey Team also announced on Monday, were determined by a vote of the league's seven head coaches. The last time Tar Heels won all four league honors was in 2018, when Matson was both the Freshman of the year and the Offensive Player of the Year.
Matson, Sholder and Heck were voted to the All-ACC first team. Carolina freshmen Sietske Brüning and Ashley Sessa were named to the All-ACC second team, giving the Tar Heels a total of five honorees across the two teams. Wake Forest also had five players honored, and each of the ACC's seven teams had at least two players recognized.
"I'm really proud of Erin, Meredith and Ryleigh – these individual honors are a testament to the outstanding seasons they've had and the impact they make on our team," Shelton said. "I'm also thrilled to see Ashley Sessa and Sietske Brüning named to the second team. But all of them will tell you that they couldn't have the success that they have without their teammates – every win and every award is a team effort, and these honors are a reflection on the hard work put in by our whole squad. And they all know there's lots of work left to be done."
As the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, UNC received a first-round bye and will open play in the semifinals on Wednesday against the winner of the quarterfinals matchup between No. 4 Boston College and No. 5 Syracuse.
For a look at the bracket, click here.
Shelton, college field hockey's all-time winningest coach with 739 career victories, guided the Tar Heels to a 15-0 regular-season record and a 6-0 mark in ACC play. UNC will enter postseason play as the only remaining unbeaten NCAA Division I Field Hockey team. The Tar Heels will be seeking their sixth consecutive ACC Field Hockey Championship and the 25th overall under Shelton's watch.
The ACC Coach of the Year honor is Shelton's 12th overall and first since 2020, when she led UNC to its ninth national title.
"We are so lucky to have such an amazing and empowering woman as our leader," Matson said. "It's been five years of her shaping me to be the best player and person I can be, and this season has been no different. Her accolades as a coach are tremendous but the way she has changed all of her players' lives forever is even more astonishing. She deserves this!"
Matson becomes the ACC's first five-time conference Player of the Year in any sport. She enters the ACC Championship as the league's all-time leading scorer with 321 career points.
Matson has been recognized as the ACC Offensive Player of the Week five times this fall and earned National Offensive Player of the Week from the NFHCA three times.
Sholder, who picked up one NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week honor this fall in addition to ACC accolades, is a key part of a Tar Heel defense that has allowed just 14 goals in 15 games (five in six conference games) while posting eight shutouts
Heck ranks 10th in the nation in scoring and earned NFHCA National Player of the Week honors on Oct. 19 after delivering a hat trick to lead the Tar Heels to an ACC win over Syracuse. She followed with another three-goal showing a few days later against Saint Joseph's and enters the ACC Championship having scored 28 points on 13 goals and two assists.
2022 All-ACC Field Hockey Team
First Team
Margo Carlin, F, Sr., Boston College
Hannah Miller, F, Sr., Duke
Sasha Elliott, GK, Gr., Louisville
Julie Kouijzer, B, Sr., Louisville
Ryleigh Heck, F, Fr., North Carolina
Erin Matson, F, Sr., North Carolina
Meredith Sholder, M, Sr., North Carolina
Quirine Comans, F, Gr., Syracuse
Daniela Mendez Trendler, M, Fr., Virginia
Annie McDonough, F, Gr., Virginia
Sky Caron, B, Gr., Wake Forest
Meike Lanckohr, M, Sr., Wake Forest
Second Team
Sarah Johnson, M/B, Gr., Boston College
Charlie van Oirschot, M, Jr., Duke
Aimee Plumb, F, Jr., Louisville
Sietske Brüning, M, Fr., North Carolina
Ashley Sessa, M, Fr., North Carolina
Charlotte de Vries, F, Sr., Syracuse
Jannemijn Deutman, M, Fr., Syracuse
Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, B, Jr., Syracuse
Adele Iacobucci, M, Sr., Virginia
Jet Trimborn, GK, Fr., Virginia
Grace Delmotte, M, Jr., Wake Forest
Nat Friedman, M, Sr., Wake Forest
Ellie Todd, GK, Fr., Wake Forest
ACC Offensive Player of the Year
Erin Matson, F, Sr., North Carolina
ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Meredith Sholder, M, Sr., North Carolina
ACC Freshman of the Year
Ryleigh Heck, F, Fr., North Carolina
ACC Co-Coaches of the Year
Karen Shelton, North Carolina
Jennifer Averill, Wake Forest
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