Covering Carolina athletics beyond men’s basketball and football, with dedicated reporting on women’s basketball and baseball, in addition to covering other sports that rarely draw media attention
Aside from the surging football team, every other Carolina fall team sport is now ranked, with the men’s soccer team debuting at No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Tar Heels fell off the top spot in the women’s soccer poll but only to No. 2, while the field hockey team moved up one spot to No. 9 and the volleyball team held at No. 23.
CHAPEL HILL — Stanford came to Dorrance Field with a win in every match and top-ranked in the country, but North Carolina matched the Cardinal blow for blow in a 2–2 draw on a steamy Friday night that could have gone either way in the final 20 minutes.
Memphis notched three first-half goals and held on for a 3–2 victory at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis to hand North Carolina its first men’s soccer loss of the season on Monday.
A full day of memorable Carolina victories, from postseason thrills and rivalry showdowns to a memorable Seth Trimble shot, will take over ACC Network on Wednesday as part of the channel’s annual school takeover programming.
North Carolina is turning to a Chapel Hill native and NASCAR executive to guide its athletic department into a new era, while long-serving athletics director Bubba Cunningham will transition into a new leadership role.
As the baseball team begins its pursuit on Friday of a second consecutive trip to the College World Series, it has already been a dominant school year for North Carolina athletics, continuing years of consistent excellence.
North Carolina has four top-10 teams with the latest polls. Coach Erin Matson’s two-time reigning NCAA champion field hockey team leads the way. The Tar Heels (4–0), who play No. 15 Syracuse (4–1) in their home opener at 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN3), remain No. 2 in the NFHCA Top 25.
No Tar Heels team has lost since athletics resumed in August. Carolina has been unbeatable in 16 events over seven sports, with five teams ranked.
North Carolina’s women stayed at No. 5 in the new United Soccer Coaches Top 25, while the Tar Heels’ men’s team fell 11 spots.
Both North Carolina soccer teams are in the top 10 of their respective United Soccer Coaches Top 25 preseason polls that the ACC tops and dominates.
North Carolina’s two football coordinators have the top two base salaries of any employee on the UNC campus, according to the UNC Salary Information Database. The database, updated on June 30, shows that Carolina’s defensive coordinator Geoff Collins (top photo) and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey are the only employees on the Chapel Hill campus earning a base salary of more than $1 million.
Set your DVRs! It will be all Tar Heels victories on ACC Network on Friday topped by the thrilling victory over Northwestern in the NCAA field hockey championship game and RJ Davis’ Smith Center-record 42 points in a men’s basketball victory over Miami.
Carolina honored the best athletes and performances of the last year at the annual Rammys on Monday night. The top male and female athletes were no surprise, as All-American guard R.J. Davis and four-time NCAA championship diver Aranza Vazquez took home the top honors.
The ACC men’s basketball tournament will be in North Carolina for five consecutive seasons starting in 2025, the longest run since the event was held in the state from 1990 to 2000, with the women’s tournament going to Charlotte in 2027.
It’s a busy Thanksgiving week for Carolina athletics, and many fans will probably plan their holiday schedule around watching the Tar Heels play. Here’s a guide to when and where to watch.
