University of North Carolina Athletics
The 2022 Tar Heel staff (L to R): Manuel Garcia Nieto, Grant Fulton, Karen Shelton, Scott Sherban and Caitlin Van Sickle
Carolina FH Staff Again Named Nation's Best
January 12, 2023 | Field Hockey
On the heels of an undefeated 2022 season, the North Carolina field hockey coaching staff has been honored as the NCAA DI staff of the year.
The award was announced on Thursday at the National Field Hockey Coaches Association convention in Lake Mary, Fla. The Tar Heel staff join the East Stroudsburg (Division II) and Middlebury (Division III) staffs in earning national honors.
Winners were selected by a majority vote of their peers from the pool of staffs that earned regional honors. The award, which honors the head coach and two full-time assistants while acknowledging that others also play a role on the staff, replaced and is synonymous with the National Coach of the Year Award.
In addition to head coach Karen Shelton, who announced her retirement in December after 42 seasons at UNC, the 2022 Carolina staff includes associate head coach Grant Fulton, assistant coach Caitlin Van Sickle, volunteer assistant coach Manuel Garcia Nieto and performance analyst Scott Sherban.
Along with the program's 10th NCAA title, the 2022 Tar Heels claimed UNC's 25th Atlantic Coast Conference title. This marks the fourth time in the past five years that the UNC staff has been honored as the nation's best.
The award was announced on Thursday at the National Field Hockey Coaches Association convention in Lake Mary, Fla. The Tar Heel staff join the East Stroudsburg (Division II) and Middlebury (Division III) staffs in earning national honors.
Give it up for the 2022 NFHCA National Coaching Staffs of the Year 🙌
Division I: @UNCFieldHockey
Division II: @esufieldhockey
Division III: @middfieldhockey
🔗https://t.co/EISulM83sE pic.twitter.com/kQ1ZOtPveV— NFHCA (@NFHCA) January 12, 2023
Winners were selected by a majority vote of their peers from the pool of staffs that earned regional honors. The award, which honors the head coach and two full-time assistants while acknowledging that others also play a role on the staff, replaced and is synonymous with the National Coach of the Year Award.
In addition to head coach Karen Shelton, who announced her retirement in December after 42 seasons at UNC, the 2022 Carolina staff includes associate head coach Grant Fulton, assistant coach Caitlin Van Sickle, volunteer assistant coach Manuel Garcia Nieto and performance analyst Scott Sherban.
Along with the program's 10th NCAA title, the 2022 Tar Heels claimed UNC's 25th Atlantic Coast Conference title. This marks the fourth time in the past five years that the UNC staff has been honored as the nation's best.
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