Six Tar Heels Named To NFHCA All-South Region Teams

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Six members of the North Carolina Field Hockey team have earned All-South Region honors, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced on Wednesday morning.

Charly Bruder, Sietske Brüning, Ryleigh Heck, and Kelly Smith led the way on the first team with Katie Dixon and Sanne Hak appearing on the second team. These six were instrumental in pushing the Tar Heels to their record 27^th Atlantic Coast Conference title, finishing the season with a 20-1 record and a 28^th final four appearance.

Carolina's four were the most of any program on the 16-member first-team and each of them are now eligible for All-America consideration to be revealed in two weeks. The awards were voted upon by the region's NFHCA member coaches.

It is the third overall All-Region honor for both Brüning and Heck with Bruder and Hak claiming their second appearance. Kelly Smith earns her first inclusion in her final season of college hockey.

Bruder, coming off an incredible debut campaign that saw her win ACC Freshman of the Year in 2023, continued to get better and better throughout 2024. The Malvern, Pa., native lead the nation in goals with 27, establishing herself as the country's premier corner taker by scoring 17 from set pieces.

The Carolina captains Brüning and Dixon were the midfield engines that made the Tar Heels tick. The duo combined for eight goals and 19 assists while serving as the vocal leaders all season.

Heck claimed her third straight first-team honor following another incredible season that saw her earn a number of honors thanks to attack exploits. The ACC Offensive Player of the Year was always the biggest threat on the field, scoring 15 goals and 15 assists to help Carolina lead the nation in scoring average.
The senior Smith played a vital role for the Tar Heels down the stretch of the season. She earned her first career ACC Defensive Player of the Week award in her final regular season week and helped the team to the best goals against average (0.55) in the country.

Hak continued taking big steps forward in her sophomore season, recording more than double the points from a freshman year good enough to earn her ACC All-Tournament and All-Region awards.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Charly Bruder

Katie Dixon

Sanne Hak

Ryleigh Heck

Kelly Smith

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