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(09/18/09 4:04am)
Despite three years of power running and blocking, no opponent ever kept Bobby Rome out of a game.But without even stepping into the backfield, the fullback was left watching North Carolina’s last-second win at Connecticut from his couch in Chapel Hill on Saturday.The senior, along with third-string defensive tackle Jordan Nix, remained home with suspected cases of swine flu.“It’s my last year and stuff, and you never expect something like that to happen,” Rome said. “When you have something like that come out of the blue — especially at a time when you are trying to win games — to have something like swine flu come in and knock you out of a few games really hurts.”The pair marked the second suspected cases of swine flu in the ACC since Duke had more than 30 players diagnosed with it this summer.The North Carolina football coaching staff has launched several initiatives to keep any other players on the team from getting sick and avoiding a breakout on the level of the Duke team.Rome first suspected he was sick when he noticed a cough on the way to watch film Tuesday morning last week.He picked up some cough drops, went to practice and took a nap.By 6 p.m., he had a temperature of 102.6 degrees. His temperature continued to climb until it reached 103.7 degrees the next day.But after a few days of fluids, rest and isolation, Rome said he is ready to return to the backfield — but not without some lingering effects.“My energy level was real down,” he said. “I didn’t have an appetite, and I ended up losing about 10 pounds throughout the whole thing.”As Rome and Nix readjust to practice, Rome said the coaching staff has taken his condition into consideration.He has engaged in fewer repetitions at practice while the team’s doctors and trainers continue to monitor his progress.“The coaching staff is doing a great job not trying to push me too fast,” he said. “I’m just going to try and ease into it.”UNC football team physician Mario Ciocca said that two other players are currently recovering from illnesses.“The players that have been sick have been in isolation until 24 hours after their fever breaks,” he said.The team has also continued to take the recommended precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.“We’ve been having them washing their hands a lot,” Ciocca said. “This weekend we had separate towels, separate water baths.”Ciocca added that the players have been encouraged to stay away from big crowds. “Our doctors and trainers did a great job of watching them,” coach Butch Davis said.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/14/09 4:30am)
Enzo Martinez and Michael Farfan received their first tastes of ACC play Saturday against No. 18 N.C. State.Thanks to them, the outcome was a familiar one for the Tar Heels. With 25 minutes remaining in the game, the freshman and highly touted transfer teamed up to score the game-winning goal. With it, the North Carolina men’s soccer team took its third consecutive win against the Wolfpack and continues its record of just one loss to N.C. State since 1998.“It was the most intense game I’ve ever played,” Martinez said. He also helped to engineer one of the most memorable goals for the conference scoring leaders. With the score knotted at one, Martinez sent a long ball down the right sideline.“The ball was right there,” Martinez said. “I saw Michael making a great run there, and I played him through — then I just watched magic happen.” Farfan retained possession, beat a defender at the box and buried a strike that ricocheted off the right post and just narrowly into left side of the net.Teammates watched in bewilderment — and so did Farfan.“I thought it was going to come out,” he said with a laugh. “Luckily it curved in, so I was happy about it.” The goal was Farfan’s team-leading third of the season and Martinez’ first assist of the season. The duo’s production accounts for nearly half of the team’s goals in the first four games.“It was brilliant,” coach Elmar Bolowich said. “The recognition that the keeper was already cheating for a cross. He picked him out and slipped into the near post. You have to give him credit for that.” The two newcomers have played an integral role since UNC entered the season with top-ranked honors and six departed seniors.Among the departed was leading scorer Brian Shriver, who accounted for 14 of the team’s 47 goals last season.“We lost a lot of seniors last year,” midfielder Cameron Brown said. “Michael and Enzo filled those spots. They are giving more than what could be expected of them. If they’re not on we don’t have really good games.”Farfan earned two-time first-team All-Big West midfielder honors during his time at Cal State Fullerton. The junior transferred to North Carolina in January and trained with the team last spring. With the arrival of fall, Farfan has quickly established himself as a pivotal cog in the Tar Heel offense. Martinez is quickly adjusting to his starting role on a collegiate team. Teammates rave about his shot-creating abilities and energy. “Enzo, he’s like a machine out there,” Bolowich said. “He’s moving constantly and he has an instinct of where the ball’s going to end up. That’s the striker quality he has.” Martinez said he hopes he can fill the void left by the seniors’ departures as best as he can. With two goals and an assist in his first four games, he isn’t off to a bad start.“It takes a lot to trust a freshman to go and play,” Martinez said. “I’m happy that somehow I can help the team. And with each individual player helping a little bit, we achieve something like this.”Now he hopes he can make sure the team sees more of the same. “It’s one down,” he said. “Now we focus on Duke.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/08/09 4:05am)
The North Carolina men’s soccer team ended the weekend in a fashion befitting of the nation’s top-ranked team. The No. 1 Tar Heels rebounded from Friday’s tie against Northern Illinois with a 4-0 win against Evansville on Sunday. The celebration that followed would be right at home in the postseason.With 5:13 remaining in the game, Cameron Brown delivered an 85th-minute bicycle kick 16 yards from the goal Sunday to seal the Carolina Nike Classic title. With teammates flanking him, Brown raced toward the corner flag with his arms in the air. “He tries things,” coach Elmar Bolowich said. “He fails and he capitalizes. You’ve seen how he plays. He takes his chances, and it was just one of them well taken.” The necessary fireworks were absent in the team’s first regular season game Friday, which ended with a 1-1 tie in double overtime. “I thought in the Friday game we dug ourselves into a hole,” Bolowich said. “We almost felt like it could be a loss coming out of a tie. “So the guys, they were challenged. We wanted to win the tournament.” Bolowich specifically addressed the front four before the game — Brown and Michael Farfan among them. Farfan netted the only goal of Friday’s contest.“We wanted more out of them looking at Friday’s game,” Bolowich said. “There had to be a different kind of commitment towards intense play and taking opportunities.” “And that’s what they did. They delivered.”Brown delivered with two goals, while Farfan recorded one goal and one assist.Scoring against Evansville began with a 25-yard goal by Brown with 36 minutes remaining in the first half. The midfielder went near post with his shot, and the Evansville goalkeeper, Phil Boerger, was unable to block the shot. The Tar Heels entered halftime leading 1-0.With 32:20 remaining in the second half, Enzo Martinez capitalized on a misplay by an Evansville defender and goalie. The pair were tangled, and Martinez was able to gather the loose ball. The freshman forward then easily slid a shot into the open net.Farfan added a goal off an assist from Alex Dixon with 23 minutes remaining before Brown capped off the four-goal differential necessary to clinch the title for the Tar Heels. “We were lacking intensity in the first game,” Farfan said. “We needed four goals and we did what we needed to win. That’s all they asked of us.” UNC’s defense only allowed Evansville four shots, one of which was on goal. But the focus, Bolowich said, was regrouping intensity on both ends of the field. On Sunday, they did just that. “We need to start scoring more, that’s for sure,” Farfan said. “ACCs are starting up and that should be a good motivator.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/04/09 2:41am)
At this point, everyone — and their mothers — has been forewarned of North Carolina’s defensive line. UNC returns all 12 members of last season’s unit, which includes starters Marvin Austin, Cam Thomas, Robert Quinn and E.J. Wilson. But quarterback T.J. Yates needed only three words to describe the defensive front four.“Smarter, faster, stronger,” he said. The defensive line boasts the most experienced returning unit on the squad with two seniors and two sophomores, all of whom started at least 11 games last season. The unit began its evolution during the offseason, when commitments to conditioning and dieting yielded a quicker front four. The team will also benefit from offseason additions that comprise a talented group of eight behind them. And if Austin has his way, opposing ball handlers will have only one type of experience to remember — nasty, brutish and short.“If you’re not with [Austin] you’re against him,” Wilson said. “While we’re on the field it’s us against them. He has that attitude, almost like a kamikaze attitude. He’s going in, doing what it takes to get the job done.”Newcomers include freshman SuperPrep All-Americans Jared McAdoo and Donte Paige-Moss, and transfer Jordan Nix.The freshmen round out one of the deepest rotations in the conference."We just want to dominate," Wilson said. "We want to go out there every week and set the tempo for the game."We’re in better shape now so we should be able to continue that domination on through the fourth quarter," he said.With all the hype surrounding the dynamic defensive front, third-year starter E.J. Wilson said the unit has much room for improvement.The Tar Heels ranked 11th out of 12 teams in the ACC and 80th nationally in sacks last year. Wilson, who started 13 games in 2008, recorded one sack of the defensive line’s total of eleven. “We have noticed that and one thing we’ve really been focusing on is getting the offensive linemen’s hands off of us, don’t let them hit us first,” Wilson said. “That was slowing us down a step which would cause us to get there right after the ball was released. That’s a lot of quarterback hits that should have been sacks.”Quinn, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, emerged as UNC’s top pass rusher last season, recording 34 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. He received freshman All-American recognition, along with a nod from his teammates.“I think Robert Quinn’s going to be even better this year,” Wilson said. “I think he’s going to continue on the success that he had last year because he’s been working hard and he has a lot of experience.”Defensive tackle Cam Thomas rounds out the group, and has rebounded from a year plagued with injuries with four tackles in his first season as a starter.“Cam tries to play that quiet role, but he’s not a shy guy at all,” Wilson said. “When he’s out there on the field, he’s hoopin’ and hollerin’ like the rest of us.”Coach Butch Davis said he is expecting the havoc for opposing teams — he just hopes it will happen on a consistent basis. "There were games when we created turnovers," he said. "When we played well against the run, there were games when we played extremely well against teams who threw the ball. We have to put those games together."
(08/25/09 4:59am)
After hearing about a pill containing a thermometer, battery and radio transmitter, E.J. Wilson was left feeling bewildered.As one of the players on the North Carolina football team taking it, he joined a horde less confused than amused. “We actually call it the Magic School Bus,” Wilson said. “We feel like Ms. Frizzle is navigating around our body just looking at things.” This summer, UNC joined a number of collegiate and professional football teams taking the CorTemp pill, an ingestible thermometer the size of a multivitamin. The practice was initiated to gauge the accuracy of data collected in a study that uses sensors in helmets to study whether higher body temperatures increase the probability of concussions.“We wanted to know if we could rely on those sensors on the helmets,” said Scott Trulock, head athletic trainer for football. “What we needed to do was to compare that with a device that has been proven to be accurate, as the CorTemp has.” For six years, Kevin Guskiewicz, chair of UNC’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science, has led the study measuring the impacts players take to helmets.Using the CorTemp readings, he is now hoping to understand whether there is a correlation between the increased concussions and higher temperatures.“When I would speak on sports-related concussions, one of the questions I’m always asked is, ‘What is it about warm months?’” he said. “This is one way for us to better understand the linkages.”The team has also used the data to monitor body temperatures throughout specific drills, games and breaks. “When Coach (Butch) Davis organizes a practice, there is a buildup and then a build down,” Trulock said. “It is based on speculating what periods require the most exertion. This was a way we could put scientific data to that.” More surprising, he said, have been readings from cool downs. The body’s resting temperature is 98.6 degrees, and athletes warm up to reach an optimum performance at 99 or 100 degrees, he said. But a very narrow window exists between that optimum level and a medical emergency — 104 degrees. During practice, readings regularly rise to 102 and 103 degrees. “We take breaks during practice in order to bring core temperature down,” Trulock said. “But the question is, ‘How long do we need?’ That was something we always speculated on.” CorTemp readings revealed that five to seven minutes proved optimum for players, while the 10 minutes often allotted proved too long.“We’re having great compliance with the athletes,” Trulock said. “They understand they are making the game they love safer for future generations.” Wilson even sat down with Trulock to talk about the study.“It’s so important,” Wilson said. “I actually feel really honored to be a part of it.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/23/09 7:22pm)
A 22-year-old clipping from a South African newspaper captures a tender moment with a mother and her newborn child. The one-day-old has her hand on a field hockey stick.The caption reads, “Born with hockey stick in hand.” With a mother and sister who played for South Africa, Danielle Forword has never been far from a stick. When wielding one, she is seemingly never far from goal. But for much of last season, the North Carolina forward was forced to keep her greatest distance from the game — the 35 yards from goal to the sideline, where Forword stayed after suffering a season-ending ACL injury against Boston College last October.“Hockey is something very emotional to her,” athletic trainer Scott Oliaro said. “When we took that away, you took a piece of her away.” To stand outside the confines of the field proved painful. She won’t have to much longer. “If I’m on the field for the Michigan game,” she said, “I will be coming out of my cage.”Impact on the fieldOn October 10, Forword controlled the ball at midfield like she had done countless times before. She planted her right knee. Then she heard the pop of her ACL tearing.After the shutout loss, teammate Illse Davids couldn’t help but hear the reverberations. “It was just a huge blow,” Davids said. “It was really an emotional weekend for everyone.” When Forword injured her knee, she was the nation’s second leading scorer. In the 12 games preceding her injury, Forword recorded 16 goals and four assists.“Dani is a special talent, and Dani is an on-field leader,” coach Karen Shelton said. “We lost our offensive firepower.” In the final nine games of the season, UNC recorded four losses. On the sidelines with knee in brace, Forword finished the season as the team’s leading scorer. “We tried to play for Dani,” Davids said. “We knew her heart was on the field.” Mental rehab One day, Forword approached her athletic trainer with tears in her eyes.“Injury is a selfish thing,” she said. “I’m asking, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ My dad said, ‘Dani, it’s not about you. Go to practice and ask someone how they are doing instead of getting so wrapped up in what’s happening to you.’ It opened my eyes.”So too did anonymous evaluations, in which teammates identified new leadership qualities that Forword exhibited on the sidelines. Care. Compassion. Both those qualities were evident as she helped coach a young attacking unit struggling to fill the void she left. A trip home to South Africa in June offered even more perspective. Growing up, Forword watched as her older sister Candice and mother, Beverly, represented their home country of South Africa with matching No. 9 jerseys.She also saw racial quotas deny them the opportunities to travel with Olympic and national teams. On the streets she saw poverty and children who did not have the means to play. “I’m fortunate if this is the worst thing that has happened to me,” she said. “I went home and said, ‘Wow, Dani, that’s the worst thing? That’s pretty good.’” Out of the cage When Forword returned to the field after a trip home to South Africa, Oliaro cleared her to rejoin team practices. Forword has been participating in one of the team’s two-a-day practices since her return.“I think it’s made her a stronger person,” Davids said. “It feels like she can take on the world.” Forword is aware of the team’s national title expectations, but for the moment, she is appreciating the simple offerings of the game. “When you’re doing something every day, it becomes monotonous,” she said. “But when something’s taken away from you, and you’re not allowed to have it, it renews that passion. It’s reinvigorated that passion for me.” Forword becomes emotional. She says she is ready to take back the field. Reborn with hockey stick in hand.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(08/23/09 7:18pm)
The upperclassmen of the North Carolina field hockey team already laid claim to history.Only two seasons ago, they became members of the only undefeated championship team in NCAA field hockey history.What could inspire excitement after reaching the pinnacle of perfection?“The seniors come together,” Illse Davids said. “We talk about how we’re getting goosebumps for this season.”And with good reason.The team graduated only two players and boasts the largest squad in the program’s history with a roster of 29 members.But even the 10 players that will catch their first glimpses of action are overshadowed by the five that will see their last.“It helps to have players who have won a championship,” Shelton said. “Those players have matured since then, and there is no substitute for senior leadership.”This season hails the return of senior — and last year’s leading scorer — Dani Forword, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear midway through last season.The team finished 14-6 and ended its season with a first-round loss in the NCAA tournament.“We’ve been through a lot over the past three years,” Davids said. “Whatever comes at us, we know how to handle it.”This season, UNC placed a league-high three players on the 11-member preseason All-ACC team.Four players also return from representing the United States in the Junior World Cup.Elizabeth Drazdowski, Katelyn Falgowski, Jackie Kintzer and Kelsey Kolojejchick were selected for the 18-player team that finished eighth.The senior core echoes the veteran-led undefeated squad of 2007. And while the team has not set any season goals, Forword said that expectations are understood.“I don’t want to chance anything by saying it,” she said. “But I think we all know we have the chance to go all the way.”The seniors aren’t the only ones setting the tone, though.“Obviously we all want to win the national championship,” coach Karen Shelton said. With a 17-game schedule that matches UNC up with formidable in-conference opponents, Shelton is keen to remind the team that desire cannot trump humility.But the team has never been one to aim low.“We’re all fighting for that ACC title and that NCAA title,” Davids said.Their coach doesn’t need reminding, either.“I see it,” Shelton said. “I see it from Dani. From Illse. All the seniors. They are very, very hungry.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(06/12/08 4:00am)
The transition between Carolina blue and red, white and blue is anything but seamless.
Amber Falcone and Erica LaGrow can attest to that.
"Usually this time of year you come off your collegiate season and take a couple weeks off," LaGrow said. "But you kind of have to jump right back into it."
The two Tar Heels are part of the 18-player U.S. National Women's Lacrosse Team, with UNC teammate Kelly Taylor among the six alternates selected from the U.S. Elite and Developmental teams.
Falcone, a rising senior, was the only player selected from the developmental team to join the touring team, the youngest on the active roster.
The team is comprised of 18 players traveling to Prague in hopes of adding another title as the five-time IFWLA World Champions.
Falcone wrapped up her season with All-America honors from four organizations. But the honor of being named on the national team, Falcone said, was completely unexpected.
"I don't even know how to describe it," Falcone said. "My teammates are unbelievable. Just being alongside them for the first time was amazing."
And it was alongside her teammates that Falcone experienced her first taste of international competition: a 14-8 USA victory against Canada.
"We had practice in the morning and in the afternoon," Falcone recalled. "And we played the Canadian national team that night."
Now a rigorous four-day training period looms ahead. The duo will fly to Baltimore on June 17 for training camp, in preparation for the Prague Cup in late June. But self-imposed training began much earlier.
"I've been working out a lot and trying to maintain the fitness level that I had during the end of the season until I go to training camp," Falcone said.
"Normally we try to take a break and let our bodies chill a little bit, but because of the situation I just had to keep going."
As is fitting for members of a UNC team known for its running attacks on the field, the fast-paced changes have done little to slow down the Tar Heel pair.
"We had tryouts. Two practices, then we played Canada, and then we had tryouts," LaGrow said. "You don't get any time off - it's a great feeling."
Though LaGrow also placed on the elite national team last year, she still struggled to put into words the honor of returning to the national touring team for the Prague Cup.
"It's really hard to describe," LaGrow said. "When you're out there with USA across the front of your jersey, there's no other feeling like it."
LaGrow, who graduated in the spring, has had little time to relax since hanging up her Tar Heel jersey. And though it has been anything but an easy transition, it seems fitting for the change she anticipates ahead.
"It's an honor to play for - I'm just gonna say it - the best team in the world," LaGrow said.
"I hope to coach next year at the collegiate level. Hopefully I can bring whatever program I end up coaching at all the skills and attributes I acquire from this experience."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(05/22/08 4:00am)
A 13-11 loss meant the clock struck midnight - time to concede the glass slipper. The unseeded North Carolina women's lacrosse team saw the conclusion of its season and tournament play against No. 5 seed Syracuse in the NCAA quarterfinals Saturday.
The Tar Heels (13-7, 4-4) faced their second consecutive seeded opponent on the road in Syracuse, N.Y.
But a valiant second half offensive charge led by sophomores Megan Bosica and Kristen Taylor was not enough to propel UNC into the Final Four.
"It's always a disappointment to end the season earlier than we hope for," Taylor said. "When you are committed and spend a whole season working for that win, it's a disappointment."
In the first eight minutes, UNC found itself in familiar territory-an early two-goal deficit. But the Tar Heels battled back, answering each Syracuse run with one of their own. North Carolina finished the half trailing 6-4.
UNC began to close the gap less than five minutes into the half with an unassisted goal by Julia Ryan. Bosica made her scoring debut less than one minute later, tying the game at six.
The sophomore tandem of Taylor and Bosica put on some late fireworks, combining for five goals in the second half.
"We both recognized that we need to step up and score some goals," Bosica said. "We got a little momentum."
The duo's attack followed a 3-0 run by the Orange (18-2) with 21:09 remaining. Taylor and Bosica controlled the board for the next eight minutes, with four unassisted goals to put UNC ahead by a goal.
"Meggy obviously had an amazing second half," Taylor said. "Her shots were just falling, and she was taking some great looks on cage."
Syracuse answered the attack with another three-goal run. Bosica netted her final goal and the team's last with 3:21 remaining. One Syracuse goal with less than a minute left sealed North Carolina's two-goal loss.
"I mean, the end score showed that we lost, but we left the game feeling like we did the best that we could possibly do," Bosica said. "I think that was just as great as the win itself."
North Carolina entered the ACC tournament as a No. 5 seed matched with fourth-seeded Boston College.
UNC avenged a double-overtime loss earlier in the season with a 12-8 upset against the Eagles to advance to the ACC semifinals to meet top-seeded Maryland. UM eliminated the Tar Heels in a 6-4 loss.
UNC received a NCAA bid as an unseeded opponent and met No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round. UNC upset the Cavaliers in a four-goal win before falling to Syracuse.
"We had a lot of ups and downs, some losses we wish didn't happen," Bosica said.
"But coming close to a Final Four, even though people didn't think we were going to get far, I think everyone is going to look back on our season and be proud of one another and what we accomplished."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu
(04/14/08 4:00am)
In less than 30 seconds, the North Carolina women's lacrosse team saw the team's four-goal deficit dissipate to two against conference rival Maryland.
Unfortunately, there were then only 50 seconds left on the clock - and time ran out for the late Tar Heel surge in a 10-8 loss Saturday at Fetzer Field.
"The play is fast and physical - you get opportunities that are high percentage, and you have to finish on them," UNC coach Jenny Levy said. "I thought Maryland did a good job of that tonight, and we did not."
The No. 9 Tar Heels (10-4, 2-3 ACC) met No. 3 Maryland in their final home game, Senior Night, with postseason implications.
"Today also meant a lot for the seeding of the ACC tournament," said sophomore Kristen Taylor, who led UNC with a team-high two goals and one assist.
"So I think, knowing that, both teams came out very hard, very fast from the start."
Maryland (12-1, 3-1) got off to a quick start, scoring first and finding the net again less than five minutes later.
The first half consisted of each team running up and down the field - but both struggled to capitalize on those trips.
"We're not adjusting the way I'd like to see us adjust," Levy said. "The game started to get into a lot of stall ball; it's really disappointing to see."
Freshman Corey Donohoe got UNC on the board at the 22:39 mark of the first half to cut the lead to one, netting a goal off an assist from Taylor.
But the Terrapins quickly responded, and less than four minutes later, North Carolina was trailing by three goals.
Then senior Meg Freshwater gave the Tar Heels a much needed boost. With UNC down 4-1, she stripped the ball away from Maryland and raced from midfield to sling a powerful shot into the back of the net.
But for UNC, offensive opportunities seemed to come few and far-between against a stifling Maryland defense.
"I think a lot of people thought it was going to be a very high-scoring game," Taylor said. "So it was kind of ironic how it ended up."
The teams continued to trade goals, and the Terrapins entered halftime leading 6-4.
In a game in which winning the draw was crucial for success, senior Julia Ryan found herself in a must-win face-off - and, sure enough, drew a foul.
Ryan failed to connect on her free-position shot, but junior Chelsea Parks came up with the ball and a foul. She netted her attempt with just 1:08 left on the clock.
Less than 20 seconds later, Donohoe added her own goal off an assist from Ryan, closing the gap to 10-8. But Maryland won the next draw and held on to the ball for the final 50 seconds.
"Until that last possession I thought we had a good chance to make a run on them," Levy said. "Unfortunately we put ourselves in a situation where the clock was important."
For senior Freshwater, it was a disappointing final game at UNC.
"I'm upset that we lost," she said. "I thought we were a lot better than we played tonight. But I've had some amazing memories here at Fetzer."
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu
(03/31/08 4:00am)
RALEIGH - For the North Carolina women's rowing team, success in the Carolina Cup on Saturday at Lake Wheeler came down to fine details and mere seconds.
UNC couldn't quite pull out a victory in its second and final home meet of the season, but the growth exhibited by the youthful Tar Heels took form in leaps and bounds.
With the influx of freshman talent, the team has strived for unity - and exhibited it in competition.
"Every stroke you take that isn't perfectly in sync with the person in front and behind you is going to slow the boat down," said senior co-captain Lisy McIntee.
"So if you aren't a unified team and you don't have a good dynamic, it's going to show up on the water."
What UNC showed on the lake was a strong performance.
The women's two varsity-eight teams finished in first place in three races and second-place in one race. In the varsity four, the team finished in second place both its races.
"They've kind of reached and exceeded our expectations" UNC coach Sarah Haney said.
The Tar Heels fielded two varsity-eight teams and one four team in the meet.
Those UNC squads competed against teams from George Mason, Delaware, Duke and Georgetown.
And it was one of the varsity-eight races that determined which team would take home the cup, and it was close all the way to the finish among UNC, Georgetown and Delaware.
At the 1,000-meter mark Georgetown began to pull away - gaining two seats and then a few boat lengths of distance on UNC.
With 500 meters to go, UNC began to regain ground on the Hoyas. In a matter of seconds the Tar Heels were neck and neck with Georgetown while Delaware trailed behind.
With 250 yards left in the race, it looked as if it would be a photo finish between UNC and Georgetown.
Much like everything else in rowing, the difference between coming home with or without the cup came down to a miniscule difference - 0.9 seconds.
Georgetown finished first and took home the cup.
But the Tar Heels were more than satisfied with their performance.
"We definitely try to stay away from result-oriented goals," Haney said.
"We focus on how to do those things we know we have to do well, and the results will take care of themselves."
And with the Tar Heels often finishing neck-and-neck or boat lengths ahead opponents, it seems as though UNC could possibly join the rowing elite.
"Their personalities just kind of have this mind-set of taking Carolina rowing to the next level," she said. "And our seniors are leading that for sure."
One of those seniors is co-captain Kathryn Winz, who echoed Haney's sentiments after the meet.
"You can tell there's a different feel when we race."
The Tar Heels will compete in the Knecht Cup on April 12 and 13 in their last meet before heading to the ACC Championships on April 19.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/24/08 4:00am)
After a tough 16-5 loss against No. 3 Virginia last weekend, the North Carolina women's lacrosse team had a couple of goals heading into Saturday's home matchup against Duke.
"Don't play on your heels. And don't be overly crazy and desperate. Just stay the course. Be composed. Stick together. And get the balls," UNC coach Jenny Levy had told her offense.
Sophomore Megan Bosica helped the No. 8 Tar Heels reach those goals with some of her own - four of them, to go along with four assists.
After the 16-14 victory against the No. 5 Blue Devils, Bosica - along with the rest of her teammates - wore a T-shirt with a two-word message on the back: "Wreck It."
"Every year we have a theme, a saying we want to do for the season," Bosica said.
"Before we get in the huddle we scream, 'Wreck it'. Like, go kick some butt. Wreck it."
And in the two-goal win, the Ellicott City, Md., native did just that.
"I think the way we came out, after that loss, Duke might have thought they were going to cream us like Virginia did," she said.
But Bosica wrecked any chances of that, in high-scoring and high-intensity fashion.
Coming into the game, Bosica had scored 14 goals in eight games while tallying seven assists. With her eight-point performance, she is tied for second on the team with 18 goals, and her four assists put her atop the North Carolina stat sheet in that category.
She appeared to be everywhere on offense in the first half. She scored her first goal unassisted at the 19:44 mark and assisted Erica LaGrow's goal on the next UNC possession.
At the 10:08 mark, Bosica assisted a goal by sophomore Kristen Taylor and raced past defenders off the next draw and shot the ball with such authority that it rolled into the net, even after the ball was deflected.
"She played out of her mind," Taylor said of her teammate. "It really jump-started our whole offense."
Levy said she's looked to a couple of players to lead the offense, namely Bosica, Taylor, senior Julia Ryan and junior Chelsea Parks.
"After the loss against Virginia last weekend, we really talked to some kids and said that you have to do certain things for our team to be successful," Levy said. "And Meggy rose to the challenge."
But Bosica wasn't the only one. The Tar Heels' up-tempo transition attack included seven scorers. And Kristen and Kelly Taylor added three goals apiece to capture the close win.
"(Bosica) is a special kid, and she's a special player," Levy said.
"But I also feel like I have a lot of kids on the field like that."
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(02/29/08 5:00am)
The No. 6 North Carolina women's lacrosse team overcame a slow start Thursday, rallying from a second-half deficit to pull out a 12-8 win against Brown.
UNC (4-0) scored two quick goals within the first five minutes of the game. But its normal ability to score in transition was largely absent against the Bears. And the Tar Heels struggled, showing poor stickplay and finishing with 20 turnovers.
"The first three goals came easy, and that ended with us playing really sloppy," UNC coach Jenny Levy said.
"I thought our team relaxed a little bit, and Brown fought back."
The Bears (1-1) responded with three unanswered goals of their own, exploiting early Tar Heel turnovers and fouls.
After the third shot put Brown up 3-2, Levy called a timeout, hoping to put a stop to the opposition's momentum and jump start a lethargic Tar Heel team.
But UNC failed to put Brown away. In fact, the Bears lead 6-4 at halftime.
"We had a little bit of an on-our-heels response," Levy said. "I was not happy with them at halftime because I thought we weren't competing."
After the teams exchanged one goal apiece to begin the second half, sophomore Megan Bosica gave the Tar Heels a much-needed boost on the offensive end with two quick goals to knot the score at seven.
Bosica led all scorers with five goals, including four unassisted strikes in the second half.
"There were a lot of times I threw it away in the first half, so I knew in the second half I had to make up for my mistakes," Bosica said. "In the end I think I did a good job helping out our team."
She scored her fourth goal of the game at the 17:11 mark, tying the score at 8-8, and less than four minutes later tallied her final goal, giving the Tar Heels their first lead since the 15:25 mark in the first half - a lead they would not lose.
"She is an explosive scorer," Levy said about Bosica. "In this game we really needed Meggy, and she really stepped up."
The Tar Heels found their offensive rhythm after that, closing the game on a 5-0 run.
"Our whole offense eventually broke them down," Bosica said.
Julia Ryan found the net with 3:39 left in the game, lifting UNC to a 12-8 advantage that would prove to be the final score.
Next, the Tar Heels look to face a formidable Penn on Saturday.
"We all have to do a better job of preparing ourselves physically and mentally and playing a full 60-minute game," Levy said.
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(02/25/08 5:00am)
Albany's Great Danes could not keep on the heels of the North Carolina women's lacrosse team after a first-period rout boosted the Tar Heels to an 18-6 win.
The No. 3 Tar Heels (3-0) got off to an early start Saturday afternoon at Fetzer Field, outscoring Albany 11-0 in the first half. The attack began with a shot from senior Julia Ryan off an assist from freshman Corey Donohoe less than four minutes into the game.
Donohoe led UNC with five points, contributing four goals and one assist. Junior Chelsea Parks and sophomore Kristen Taylor finished with four points each.
But it wasn't just a three-woman show, as eight different players scored and five had assists in the first half.
"Our low attackers and middies all have the ability to score," Tar Heel coach Jenny Levy said. "You can't just mark out one kid at one specific part of our game plan and take away our offense."
UNC's pressure defense forced Albany into some early miscues, and the Tar Heels took advantage. After North Carolina's third straight goal at 15:20, Albany needed a timeout.
The UNC offense continued to score in all manners of attack, patiently exploiting Albany's defense in the first 30 minutes.
"There was so much open in transition and settled in that we didn't know what decision to make with the ball," Levy said. "We settled into that and scored 11 points."
UNC's offense can be credited for the barrage of goals, but the defense forced seven early turnovers and kept Albany to four shot attempts.
"They help us out, causing turnovers and getting our enthusiasm up," Donohoe said. "When they make a big play, that makes us want to score to show them that we appreciate them."
Coming out in the second half, the Great Danes finally got on the board. Albany found the net at the 28:18 mark in the second half for its first goal of the game.
Albany found its offensive rhythm and began to drive to the cage, scoring four goals in less than six minutes. But Albany never got closer than nine as the two squads exchanged goals throughout the second half.
"In the second half I wasn't as happy with the discipline on the field," Levy said. "We had a lot of opportunities, and we were trying to do everything instead of settling down and running what we run."
Albany scored its sixth and final goal at the 2:20 mark. Donohoe netted in the last unassisted shot in the closing minute of the game, securing the 12-point win for the Tar Heels.
"We played all of our kids today," Levy said. "It was a good day for our team and see what our kids could do."
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(02/25/08 5:00am)
The North Carolina gymnastics team endured a loss of teammates and of practice before ultimately succumbing to No. 3 Florida.
Florida (7-1) handed the Tar Heels (9-2) a decisive loss Friday night at Carmichael Auditorium, outscoring the team 196.650-194.125. UNC received its second defeat of the season, coming off a loss at West Virginia where the team fell short by two-tenths of a point.
"It was a very high level of gymnastics tonight; Florida is an amazing team," coach Derek Galvin said.
In each of the four events - vault, uneven parallel bars, beam and floor exercise - the Gators notched top team totals.
Injuries plagued the Tar Heels as soon as they took the floor. During warm-ups for uneven parallel bars, sophomore Teri Diamond suffered a minor injury, and a last-minute substitution was made to the lineup.
A few events later, senior Sarrie Rubin had begun her floor exercise when she landed awkwardly and struggled off the mat, indicating injury to her knee.
"I saw her grab her knee, and my first thought was, 'Oh my gosh, I hope this isn't serious,'" Galvin said.
"She's worked so hard, and she's such a leader on this team. We'll keep hoping and praying she'll be OK."
Before the injury, Rubin received a 9.800 mark in vault, the team's high, tied with sophomore Christine Nguyen.
As if to add insult to injury, illnesses also plagued the Tar Heels.
"For me personally, I got sick on Tuesday, so coming into this meet I didn't get to practice since Tuesday," Nguyen said. "I wasn't really sure if I was going to compete today or not."
The lack of preparation didn't seem to affect the sophomore.
Nguyen marked top scores amongst the Tar Heels in all four events.
Nguyen also excelled on the balance beam, scoring 9.875 and tying for first place with three Florida gymnasts.
"Considering being sick, I'm happy with what I did and what the team did," Nguyen said. "They really stepped up and filled up the spots."
Although the Tar Heels fell behind early, they fought back with strong showings in the final two events. UNC secured its highest team total in the final event, the floor exercise. But it was not enough to overcome the sizable deficit.
"It's been a challenging week for the whole team," Galvin said. "We're just going to regroup."
UNC will next host the Tar Heel Invitational on March 1 at Carmichael Auditorium.
"Now we just have to get some people healthier," Galvin said, "and get back on track with the kind of scores this team is capable of getting when they are healthy."
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(02/11/08 5:00am)
N.C. State gymnasts took the floor as Wolfpack howls boomed from the loudspeakers, but North Carolina's winning performance spoke for itself.
The No. 21 Tar Heel gymnastics team extended its nine-meet winning streak to start the season with a 195.450-194.975 win against No. 25 N.C. State. Sunday at Carmichael Auditorium.
In its first regular season home meet, UNC came out with a strong performance to take home the win.
The Tar Heels were coming off a win in the Governor's Cup, where UNC teamed up with the Wolfpack to win a first-place ranking.
"We certainly want to do well against them," North Carolina coach Derek Galvin said.
"Our goal every year is to beat the ACC teams, to beat all the teams in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League."
Galvin accredited the team's performance in vault as one of the strongest he's seen since the NCAA championships last year.
And the other three routines had strong performances as well. Galvin attributed mistakes in bars, beams and floor routines simply to the nerves that accompany the first home meet.
"Some of the mistakes we made today were too much power," Galvin said. "They were too strong in some cases."
But quality and execution gave the Tar Heels the points they needed to overcome N.C. State.
"We know we've got room to continue to grow and improve," Galvin said.
The Tar Heel faithful did not disappoint, supplying the team with an energetic home-court advantage.
"Gymnasts love a crowd," Galvin said.
"When they hear the people in the audience, and in particular recognize the voices up there and see a lot of people in the stands, they want to have an even stronger performance."
Christine Nguyen, recently named the EAGL Gymnast of the Week, continued to lead UNC to victory. The North Carolina sophomore notched top scores for the Tar Heels in every event.
Senior Sarrie Rubin scored 9.85 in vault, her personal best and tied with Nguyen as the team's leader.
After undergoing a shoulder surgery, then an unexpected recovery a few years ago, Rubin said, she is taking full advantage of her final season.
"It's a surprise that I was even able to do gymnastics this long," Rubin said.
"Now that it's my fifth year I'm trying to go all out and show everything off and show everyone what I can do."
The Tar Heels (9-0) look to continue their undefeated record at the upcoming meet hosted by West Virginia at 8 p.m. Friday.
"I'm so excited," Rubin said. "We're doing the best we've done since I've gone to Carolina."
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(01/23/07 5:00am)
Artifacts and stories of UNC students from the 1960s will be on display starting today in Wilson Library.
The manuscripts department of Wilson Library will host "I Raised My Hand to Volunteer: Students Protest in 1960s Chapel Hill" through May 31.
"It was a part of the manuscript department wanting to highlight some history of the University which hasn't been discussed much," said Biff Hollingsworth, a graduate assistant in the manuscript department.
From fliers recruiting members for Students for a Democratic Society to photographs, the exhibit will display different artifacts of activism from the campus during the 1960s, including the diary of Karen Parker, the first black female undergraduate student at UNC.
"The civil rights protests are national stories. But we weren't interested in telling the story of huge national heroes," Hollingsworth said.
"We wanted to be as specific as possible to the heritage of student involvement in movements on this campus."
The department's efforts focused on displaying four major issues: efforts to desegregate public facilities, North Carolina's Speaker Ban Law, the Food Workers Strike of 1969 and protests relating to the Vietnam War, said Tim West, the curator of the manuscripts department and director of the Southern Historical Collection.
"There is a bit of an upsurge in student activism now, which makes it pertinent," West said.
Issues such as the war in Iraq, the influx of immigrants and policies regulating campus workers are all issues that parallel those from decades ago, he said.
West said the exhibit will help to give context to student activism today.
"I'm sure it's not transparent to people who walk in and see cases about the Vietnam War that those same people would reflect about what's going on now," Hollingsworth said.
"It's not something we're trying to push in people's faces, but we are trying to show a heritage of this discussion on campus."
The exhibit will be accompanied by three panel discussions sponsored by the manuscripts department and Friends of the Library, which will be held periodically throughout the exhibit's duration.
Guest panelists will include Parker, former UNC-system president Bill Friday and Julius Chambers, a former chancellor of N.C. Central University and attorney for students arrested during sit-ins, among others.
A full schedule of events can be found at www.lib.unc.edu.
"Hopefully students would ask themselves, 'What does this history mean to me, and is there something in my current reality that relates to it? Is there something I should be involved with?" Hollingsworth said.
"It was a real goal to get current students to get involved and not just to highlight history."
Hours for viewing the exhibit are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/29/06 5:00am)
The University soon will be offering extra incentives to keep Chapel Hill high schoolers in the area after graduation.
This spring UNC will provide more in-depth recruitment events targeted at attracting accepted students to the University.
"People have a perception of what UNC is from their parents or a football or basketball game," said Steve Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions. "They don't know all the University has to offer."
The programs will invite students who have been admitted to UNC to look at different aspects of the University that they might not otherwise be familiar with. Some of those include research labs and athletic facilities.
Jen Kretchmar, the senior assistant director of research at the office of undergraduate admissions, said 290 students applied to UNC from East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill High School for fall 2006 admission.
Of the applicants, 161 were admitted, and 92 students enrolled this fall.
"(UNC is) one of the best public schools in the nation, but it's easy to take it for granted being from Chapel Hill," said Durham Academy graduate Kathryn Howlett, a UNC junior majoring in psychology and communications.
"A friend told me that he got bored of the UNC campus life, but I haven't really found that to be true," Howlett said.
According to a 2006 UNC-system report, N.C. high-school graduates attend an out-of-state college less frequently than graduates from most other states.
When asked, students named academics, affordability, campus atmosphere and athletics as what they looked for when selecting thecollege they will attend.
"I wasn't really thinking about going anywhere out of state because UNC is a good school, and it's reasonable price-wise," said Erin Shigekawa, a freshman biology major who graduated from Chapel Hill High School.
What students do not want in their future universities is a continuation of their high schools, said Bob Patterson, associate director for recruitment at the University admissions office.
Many of Howlett's peers from her private high school visited Ivy League universities as their potential colleges, she said.
However, she said her classmates realized they could find academic prestige and other expectations for college life back home in Chapel Hill.
"I know people who went to visit Ivy Leagues and said they were from Chapel Hill," she said. "People were like, 'Why are you applying to Yale? Why aren't you going to UNC?'"
The University wants to attract the best possible candidates, and this program will just be another addition to ongoing efforts, Patterson said.
"We just don't want them to feel they have to get away from Chapel Hill simply because they haven't heard of what is available here in their backyard."
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(11/20/06 5:00am)
North Carolinians who are uninsured are about to get a little help from UNC.
The University has joined with the state's Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission to create the Task Force for a Healthier North Carolina.
"The executive director of the trust fund sent me a letter of invitation for UNC to apply to provide the leadership for the actual task force," said Daniel Gitterman, director of the task force and professor of public policy at UNC.
Through the aid of the task force, UNC will help plan out new policies that are aimed at allowing more people in the state to be insured.
The Lewin Group, a national health care and human services consulting firm, is subcontracting with the task force to help provide analytical support.
Gitterman said the task force has been faced with three main issues - barriers which limit access to prescription drug coverage, children's health insurance and insurance for employees of small businesses.
The task force will examine these barriers and offer policy recommendations to overcome them. UNC, with the help of partner schools, will hold public forums to discuss the three issues, Gitterman said.
At the forums, policy changes will be recommended so that residents of North Carolina can receive the full benefit of Medicare Part D, which includes drug-plan options.
One major issue is an underenrollment of residents who are eligible to receive help from the government, Gitterman said.
About 90,000 seniors are eligible for partial fees covered by the federal government. Also, a number of children are eligible but not enrolled to receive aid from the government.
But Gitterman said the largest number of people who are working in North Carolina without health coverage are those who work with small-business employers, usually those with 10 or fewer employees.
"Small employers are facing the most problems," Gitterman said.
"The rising cost for employers is leading more and more not to offer health insurance as part of a benefit package, and they put pressure on both employers and employees who need the coverage."
Doughnut holes, also called out-of-pocket charges, and monthly premiums also are policy issues under review.
"On all these issues, there is some degree of co-insurance or co-pays that have been costly for lower income folks and become barriers to accessing health care because you are somewhat exposed before you are covered," Gitterman said.
The task force also will try to address the children who have been "crowded out" of N.C. Health Choice for Children, the state's health insurance program for children of low-income and uninsured parents.
There is an 8.3 percent "crowd-out" rate of those enrolled. In January 2006, children 5 years old and younger who were covered by the state were switched to Medicaid plans.
The task force is budgeted through 2007.
"Our intention was for the task force to last for a full year," Gitterman said. "Our hope is that we should issue a final report next fall."
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(11/14/06 5:00am)
While the fall textbook rush has come and gone, prices still are on the chopping block.
The ad hoc textbook committee met Monday to discuss several plans that could help reduce textbook prices.
A report is slated to be submitted to the UNC-system Board of Governors by Dec. 8. System administrators have asked all 16 campuses to review textbook prices.
"Looking for highest quality and the price have not always been factors together," Student Stores Director John Jones said. "Now, we're being forced to look at it."
The committee is targeting 10 departments that members believe would have the greatest impact on students. The committee has received positive feedback from the biology, English, business, religious studies, mathematics and psychology departments.
Committee members have focused on first-year and introductory level classes - courses with the greatest number of students.
For the spring semester, administrators are working with the College of Arts and Sciences to implement a more efficient textbook buyback program. The program will serve as a test case for implementation across all departments.
"We will encourage examination course by course," said Steve Allred, executive associate provost. "It is just about consumer education and eliminating costs."
Science classes were noted for especially costly course materials. Anatomy courses, for example, contain traditional textbooks, multimedia and other supplemental materials.
The average cost of textbooks for freshmen pre orders have been consistent for the past four years, Jones said. The average cost paid by freshman who pre-order their textbooks is $400 for the fall semester and $200 in the spring.
Officials aim to create bundles of course materials that will help eliminate unnecessary components and reduce overall costs for students.
Committee members estimated that a new, less costly bundle system is one year away from adoption in the biology department.
The English department also has discussed creating first-year student textbooks for the introductory English 101 and 102 classes, which will reduce costs from more than $100 to $20.
Another possible solution would allow the University to publish textbooks through Student Stores.
Jones said these changes will require faculty to adopt a new mind-set in selecting required materials for classes.
Members also said they want to preserve the academic freedom that professors have to select course supplies.
"We've been met with zero hostilities," Jones said. "They are more like, 'Oh gosh, we've never looked at it from this perspective.' We're just taking it one step at a time."
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