Winthrow Passes Down Her Knowledge in the Net

All are former North Carolina athletes who have returned to coach, but only one has been a three-time national champion, four-time ACC champion, two-time All American and an integral part of a perfect 24-0 season.

Funny that the athlete who racked up all those accolades is also the least recognizable name on that list. Who is Jana Withrow, anyway?

She was the goalie for the UNC field hockey team from 1994-97 and was recently named to the ACC's 50th anniversary field hockey team.

But if you had asked her about the field hockey greats back before she began high school, she wouldn't have known who they were either. Withrow started out wanting to be a soccer player.

"I actually started playing field hockey because (my high school) didn't have a women's soccer team," Withrow said. "It was just something to do in the fall. It was either that or volleyball, and I figured, 'I'm not tall enough for volleyball, so I'll try field hockey.' At the time, the men's soccer coach didn't really want women on the team, so I just tried field hockey and ended up being decent at it."

That could be one of the great understatements of all time, coming from a woman who played on the U.S. national team and still holds the UNC and ACC records for career shutouts.

It was no surprise, though, when Withrow committed to UNC before even starting her senior year at DuPont High School in Delaware. She always had a soft spot for the Tar Heels, and the fact they were a nationally recognized field hockey force only sealed her decision.

"My mom's from Wilmington, so she's been a huge Tar Heel fan her entire life, so I'd grown up knowing about the Tar Heels," Withrow said. "As soon as I found out that Carolina had a great field hockey program, it was definitely my top choice, because academically it's a top public school, so it was just a great fit."

UNC coach Karen Shelton said she knew she wanted Withrow to be a Tar Heel when she got her first glimpse of Withrow in the goal.

"I saw her play at camp, and she's a tremendous athlete," Shelton said. "I loved that she came to camp and she just stood out. There was no question that we were going to offer her a full scholarship and that we wanted her. I was just delighted that she committed the day after camp."

Withrow was a fierce player at UNC, driving her teammates to live up to the Tar Heels' powerhouse reputation.

"She's a competitor, she's intense, but yet she's calm," said former UNC teammate Cindy Werley. "I just had all the confidence in the world in her. Like on a corner, I'd be like, 'Oh, Jana's got it,' and sometimes you can't do that if you don't have a great goalie."

And Withrow can compete at every position on the field too.

This summer, she played with Southern Charm, a summer league team made up of UNC graduates and current players, coached by Nick Conway, an assistant coach for the Tar Heels.

"We needed a goal so bad and she's on the sideline and she's like, 'Nick, put me in,' and she's a goalie," Werley said. "She de-pads and goes in the game and not even a minute later she scores a goal. That is so typical of Jana."

When Withrow graduated from UNC in 1998, she left some big pads to fill.

But as the goalkeeping coach for the past five years, she's had a hand in teaching the next generation of Tar Heels how to follow in her footsteps.

"To watch Amy (Tran) grow and become a national team athlete as well as having Alexis (Suarez) and (Katy Tran) as younger goalkeepers and try to get them to achieve the level Amy has, just watching them grow as players and people, that's the best part (about coaching)," Withrow said.

And having a goalkeeping coach as experienced as Withrow is an asset a national contender like UNC can't go without.

"(Goalkeeper) is a position where you need to have played it to teach the technique, so she provides a very valuable service to our program," Shelton said. "I think for years and years we survived without a goalkeeper coach, but in this day and age, with how the game has progressed, you can not be a top program without having a great goalkeeper and a great goalkeeper coach.

"Throughout her career she was the most successful goalkeeper we've ever had. She won three (national) championships and came in second, that's pretty darn good in a four-year career."

But intensity like Withrow's doesn't just vanish with graduation.

"I miss the competition," Withrow said. "Every once in a while, I really miss it, just being able to compete day in, day out and have that fire in your belly."

And Withrow knows what it's like to play in some big games, notching performances in four national championships, and winning three.

She also traveled all over the world as the backup goalie for the national team, but after five years of that, decided she wanted to get back to her Tar Heel roots.

"I did feel privileged to be able to give something back to the University after receiving an education, a great academic career, athletic career and social life."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.