Tracking the Tar Heels, August 20

With a new school year comes a new approach to blogging. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be unrolling posts and features designed to bring you closer to UNC sports. Today, we launch our first installment of Tracking the Tar Heels — a daily post that will consolidate all of the latest Tar Heel happenings into easily digestible bites. It’s one of the new features we’re excited about, and we hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

So be sure keep an eye on this blog, and as always, we welcome your feedback, comments and concerns. You can connect with us on Twitter and on Facebook, and you can also email our Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.

Now, let’s take a look at what the Tar Heels have been up to:

• With the start of class looming Tuesday, the UNC football team’s training camp with first-year coach Larry Fedora has come to a close, Sports Editor Brandon Moree writes. The Tar Heels will only get a quick break, though, as the practice schedule opens up again Wednesday.

• As the football team practices, controversy continues to swirl around the African and Afro-American Studies Department. Editor-in-Chief Andy Thomason and University Editor Nicole Comparato reported that the University has called for an outside review of the department.

• Former UNC football and basketball player Julius Peppers confirmed that a transcript posted on the UNC website belonged to him, but he denied any academic wrongdoing. Between Peppers’ transcript and former defensive end Marvin Austin’s transcript, there are a decade of questions for UNC.

• Several Tar Heel women represented the University in London for the Olympics, Assistant Sports Editor Henry Gargan writes. Gargan caught up with former UNC women’s soccer star Tobin Heath, whose performance in London certainly made UNC coach Anson Dorrance proud.

• As the men’s soccer team looks to defend its national title, Assistant Sports Editor Brooke Pryor writes that there are many fresh faces and a fresh energy to be found among the Tar Heels. On Sunday, that young squad tied with Coastal Carolina in its final exhibition match. Pryor writes that coach Carlos Somoano wasn’t concerned with the outcome.

• Last but certainly not least, Assistant Sports Editor Robbie Harms took an in-depth look at new head track and field coach Harlis Meaders and his long road back to Chapel Hill. The former UNC discus thrower worked for three years at Western Carolina University and another 18 at Florida State University before returning to his alma mater.