Shelton Receives GAA's Distinguished Service Medal

Karen Shelton recently added another honor to an already long list as she became the fifth coach in school history to receive the UNC General Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Medal.

The honor, awarded since 1978, is presented to those who have provided outstanding service to the GAA and/or the University. Shelton follows Dean Smith (1989), Bill Guthridge (2007), Roy Williams (2010) and Mike Fox (2021) in receiving the award.

"What an honor it was to receive the Distinguished Service Medal," Shelton said. "The list of those recognized in past years is just so impressive, and I appreciate the GAA selecting me to be among that group. Although I didn't attend UNC, I could not be prouder to have represented this University and its mission for more than four decades."

Shelton retired in December following 42 years as the head field hockey coach at UNC. During her tenure, she led the Tar Heels to an NCAA-record 10 national titles and became the winningest coach in the history of the sport.

To read Shelton's award citation, click here.

Other honorees for 2023 were documentary filmmaker Barbara Kilpatrick Lee and Duke Energy Senior VP Dwight Jacobs, both of whom are UNC graduates, as are the majority of Distinguished Service Medal recipients. Shelton, a West Chester graduate, is the first honoree since 2019 who is not a North Carolina alum.

For a full list of all-time Distinguished Service Medal recipients, click here.

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