The Collegiate Women Sports Awards presented UNC women's lacrosse fifth-year attacker Jamie Ortega with the Honda Sport Award for lacrosse on Monday.
The Collegiate Women Sports Awards highlights female athletic champions deemed the “best of the best” in college athletics. The Honda Sport Award also recognizes community involvement and scholastic excellence in addition to athletic achievement. This year's ceremony marked the 46th annual presentation of the Honda Cup awards.
On June 14, Ortega was named the winner of the prestigious award by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. She won the award over lacrosse finalists Charlotte North of Boston College, Emily Sterling of the University of Maryland and teammate Ally Mastroianni.
"To be selected from this amazing group of finalists is truly gratifying," Ortega said in a press release. "I am part of an incredible team sport and receive this along with the teammates who I've shared my accomplishments with, and I am both humbled and grateful to have been chosen."
Ortega is just the second Tar Heel to win the award for lacrosse. Kara Cannizzaro, a former player who now serves on the team's coaching staff, won the Honda award in 2013.
Ortega is no stranger to achievement.
Over the course of her record-breaking final season, Ortega was also awarded 2022 ACC Attacker of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, first-team All-ACC and unanimous first-team All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse, USA Lacrosse and the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.
Her final season solidified Ortega as UNC’s career leader in goals and points and the only player in program history to earn All-America honors five times. Ortega also finishes her career first in ACC history with 466 career points, and finishes second behind Katie Hoeg at UNC in career assists. She also totals 113 points on 69 goals and 44 assists on the season, a UNC record for single-season points.
Since her first game as a Tar Heel in 2018, Ortega started in every single one of her matchups, breaking another school record for starts and games played. Ortega’s five years as a Tar Heel culminated this spring with a 12-11 NCAA Championship win over Boston College, the program's first national championship since 2016.
