Field Hockey to Host 1st-Round NCAA Game

The North Carolina field hockey team has been awarded the No. 2 seed of the NCAA tournament, earning a home bid for the first two rounds of the tourney.

UNC (17-3) will face Kent State (19-3) on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Henry Stadium. Each of the top four teams in the nation host a bracket of the 16-team tournament. Massachusetts and Boston will meet in the other game at Henry Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The winners of the two games will face off on Sunday for the right to continue onto the final four in Norfolk, Va., at Old Dominion on Nov. 17 and 19.

"We're very excited to be in the tournament and have the opportunity to host," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "We'll work hard during the next couple of days to prepare for a very good Kent State team."

ODU (21-10) earned the No. 1 seed. ACC champion Maryland (17-3) is the No. 3 seed, and Wake Forest (16-3) nabbed the other home bid.

Tickets to the weekend's games are $5 for adults and $3 for students. They can be purchased at the gate or by calling the UNC ticket office at 1-800-722-HEEL (4335) or 919-962-2296.

Women's Basketball Picked 22nd

For the ninth consecutive year, the North Carolina women's basketball team will begin the season ranked in The Associated Press' Top-25 Poll.

The Tar Heels debut at No. 22 in the poll, which was released Tuesday.

"We're pleased to be in the polls, but we want to improve our rankings," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "We believe we have the potential to be better than people think we're going to be."

UNC will play its final exhibition game Thursday, hosting Basketball Travelers at 7 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium. Admission to the game is free.

UNC opens the 2000-01 season on Nov. 17 at Buffalo and then plays at Syracuse on Nov. 19.

The Tar Heels will host North Carolina A&T on Nov. 21.

Tar Heels Ends Season Ranked 4th

The North Carolina women's soccer team is ranked fourth in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America coaches poll for the 2000 regular season. The Tar Heels moved up two spots in the rankings after winning their 12th consecutive ACC tournament championship this past weekend.

UNC opens the defense of its 1999 NCAA championship this Sunday, when the Tar Heels host an NCAA tournament second-round game at Fetzer Field at 1 p.m.

The Tar Heels will play the winner of the first-round game between Wake Forest and Liberty, which takes place Wednesday in Winston-Salem.

Forte Named Preseason All-America

Men's basketball player Joesph Forte was selected a first-team preseason All-American by The Associated Press.

Duke's Shane Battier and Notre Dame's Troy Murphy earned the most votes. Battier was one vote shy of being a unanimous pick.

Forte, last year's ACC Rookie of the Year, averaged 16.7 points a game and became the first freshman to lead UNC in scoring in the program's history.