Three Win Patterson Medals for 2007
Posted on Jan. 4, 2008Ivory Latta ’07, a three-time ACC women’s basketball tournament MVP; senior Heather O’Reilly, the women’s soccer National Player of the Year and Olympic gold medalist; and Robert Woodard ’07, the Tar Heels’ all-time winningest pitcher, are the recipients of the 2006-07 Patterson Medals, awarded annually to Carolina’s most outstanding male and female senior athletes.
Latta led Carolina to three consecutive ACC championships and back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2006 and 2007. She started 135 games at point guard and led the Tar Heels to a record of 121-17 overall and 48-10 in ACC regular-season action. She was a three-time ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, becoming the first person to accomplish that and leading the Tar Heels to an 11-1 record in ACC Tournament play. Latta was the 2006 ESPN.com, USBWA and Basketball Times National Player of the Year, a two-time Associated Press first-team All-America and a two-time Kodak/WBCA, Wooden and USBWA All-America. She also was a three-time first-team All-ACC selection, was the 2006 ACC Player of the Year and was selected to NCAA Tournament All-Region teams in each of her last three seasons.
Latta is UNC’s career leader in points (2,285), three-pointers (345), three-point percentage (.389) and free-throw percentage (.840). She is second all-time at Carolina in assists with 599. In ACC records, Latta is first in three-pointers made, fifth in points and sixth in assists.
“Ivory is an outstanding choice for the Patterson Medal,” said women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell. “In addition to being one of the best women’s basketball players in the nation over the last four years, she was a great leader for our team on and off the court. Her positive attitude and passion for the game helped create a buzz about our team and our sport among fans of all ages. Ivory is the kind of outgoing person that gets people excited about college sports.”
Women’s soccer forward O’Reilly won 2006 National Player of the Year honors from Honda and Soccer America and was one of five finalists for the Honda-Broderick Award, which is presented to the top female athlete in all NCAA sports. She was a three-time consensus first-team All-America and All-ACC selection. O’Reilly captained the 2006 Tar Heel squad that went 27-1 and won the NCAA championship, pacing the attack with four goals and six assists in the NCAA Tournament. She is third in NCAA history in postseason goals and points. She scored a goal in each of her last four postseason games, including a 3-2 win over Texas A&M in the quarterfinals and a 2-1 win over No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in the 2006 national championship match.
O’Reilly was the Most Valuable Offensive Player at the 2006 College Cup, the second time in her career she won that award (the first was in 2003 when the Tar Heels won the championship). She also received the 2007 NCAA Today’s Top 8 Award and Weaver-James Corrigan Honorary Award, was named the 2006 College Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was ESPN’s Academic All-America of the Year.
She led the Tar Heels to three ACC titles and earned All-ACC Tournament honors in four straight years. O’Reilly finished her career with 59 goals, 49 assists and 167 points. She received community service awards from UNC for work in Carolina Dreams, Get Kids in Action, Adopt a Classroom, Katrina Relief Fund, Carolina Outreach and Share Your Holiday programs. She has been a member of the U.S. National Team the last six years, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2004 Summer Olympic semifinals against Germany. The U.S. went on to win the gold medal.
“Heather has a list of accomplishments that is without parallel, and when you combine it with how nice and caring a person she is in all aspects of her life, you have to ask, ‘Does it get any better than this?’ ” said women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance ’74.
Woodard is first in Tar Heel baseball history with 34 wins after leading Carolina to back-to-back appearances in the championship round of the College World Series. Woodard also ranks second in UNC winning percentage (.872) and innings pitched (377.1) and is seventh in strikeouts (264). He is the only Tar Heel pitcher to rank in the Top 10 in all four categories.
A three-time All-ACC selection (first team in 2005, second team in 2006 and 2007), he shares the school record of five for NCAA Tournament wins. Woodard is seventh in ACC history in career wins and 10th in career innings. Last year, Woodard went 11-2 with 84 strikeouts. As a junior, he pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout against Clemson in the College World Series. It was one of two times he blanked Top 10 teams that season. He was 8-0 as a sophomore and led the ACC with an earned-run average of 2.11. Woodard equaled UNC’s freshman wins record with an 8-2 mark back in 2004. The right-hander was unbeaten in 22 career decisions at Boshamer Stadium.
“Robert Woodard may very well have had the single biggest impact on Carolina baseball over the past four years,” says UNC head coach Mike Fox ’78. “Robert was about as consistent a performer over the past four seasons as you could ask for. He was the consummate competitor, who willed his way to become one of the best pitchers in Carolina baseball history and led our team to back-to-back College World Series Finals. He is one of the program’s greatest players ever.”
Latta will receive her medal at the Jan. 5 women’s basketball game against Georgia Tech. Woodard will be honored at the Jan. 9 men’s basketball game vs. UNC-Asheville. O’Reilly will be presented her medal at the Feb. 24 men’s basketball game against Wake Forest.
The Patterson Medal is based primarily on athletic accomplishment, although sportsmanship and leadership are also considered. A committee of athletics, faculty and student representatives selects the winners, who are nominated by their respective head coaches. The award was first given in 1924 by Dr. Joseph Patterson (class of 1904, CMED) in memory of his brother, John Durand Patterson (class of 1908). The Patterson family of Chapel Hill continues to present the award.
Patterson Medal Winners
1924: Monk McDonald ’23 (football, basketball, baseball)
1925: M.D. Bonner ’24 (football)
1926: Jack Cobb ’27 (basketball)
1927: Ad Warren ’27 (football, boxing, wrestling)
1928: Galen Elliott ’28 (track)
1929: Henry Satterfield ’29 (basketball)
1930: Ray Farris Sr. ’30 (football, boxing, baseball)
1931: Henry House ’31 (football, baseball)
1932: Staton McIver ’32 (football)
1933: Stuart Chandler ’33 (football)
1934: Virgil Weathers ’34 (basketball)
1935: Harry Williamson ’35 (track)
1936: Harry Montgomery ’36 (football)
1937: R.D. Buck ’37 (football)
1938: Andy Bershak ’38 (football, basketball)
1939: George Nethercutt ’39 (baseball)
1940: George Stirnweiss ’40 (football, baseball)
1941: Paul Severin ’41 (football, basketball)
1942: Bobby Gersten ’42 (basketball, baseball)
1943: Carlyle Thomas Mangum ’43 (track)
1944: Denny Hammond ’44 (swimming)
1945: E.B. Shultz ’46 (track)
1946: Jim Jordan ’46 (basketball)
1947: Walt Pupa ’47 (football)
1948: Jim Camp ’47 (football)
1949: Vic Seixas ’49 (tennis)
1950: Charlie Justice ’50 (football)
1951: Jimmy Thomas ’58 (swimming)
1952: Cecil Milton ’52 (swimming)
1953: Chalmers Port ’54 (baseball, football)
1954: Miles Gregory ’53 (football, wrestling)
1955: Albert Long Jr. ’55 (track, football, basketball, baseball)
1956: Jerry Vayda ’56 (basketball)
1957: Lennie Rosenbluth ’57 (basketball)
1958: Buddy Payne ’58 (football)
1959: Dave Scurlock ’59 (track)
1960: Jack Cummings ’60 (football)
1961: Rip Hawkins ’61 (football)
1962: Ray Farris Jr. ’62 (football)
1963: Joe Craver ’63 (football)
1964: Bill Haywood ’66 (baseball, soccer)
1965: Harrison Merrill ’65 (swimming)
1966: John Shaw ’66 (baseball)
1967: Danny Talbott ’67 (football, baseball)
1968: Larry Miller ’68 (basketball)
1969: Bill Bunting ’69 (basketball)
1970: Charlie Scott ’70 (basketball)
1971: Don McCauley ’71 (football)
1972: Dennis Wuycik ’72 (basketball)
1973: George Karl ’73 (basketball)
1974: Tony Waldrop ’74 (track)
1975: Charles Waddell ’75 (football, track, basketball)
1976: Mitch Kupchak ’76 (basketball)
1977: Walter Davis ’77 (basketball)
1978: Phil Ford ’78 (basketball)
1979: Greg Norris ’79 (baseball)
1980: Bonny Brown ’80 (women’s swimming)
1981: Lawrence Taylor ’81 (football) and Al Wood ’81 (basketball)
1982: C.D. Mock ’82 (wrestling)
1983: David Drechsler ’83 (football)
1984: Sue Walsh ’84 (women’s swimming)
1985: Ethan Horton ’86 (football)
1986: Brad Daugherty ’86 (basketball)
1987: Kenny Smith ’87 (basketball)
1988: Rob Koll ’89 (wrestling)
1989: Jeff Lebo ’90 (basketball)
1990: Shannon Higgins ’90 (women’s soccer)
1991: Sharon Couch ’91 (women’s track and field)
1992: Dwight Hollier ’91 (football)
1993: Kristine Lilly ’93 (women’s soccer)
1994: Mia Hamm ’94 (women’s soccer)
1995: Tisha Venturini ’95 (women’s soccer)
1996: Marcus Jones ’96 (football)
1997: Debbie Keller ’98 (women’ soccer)
1998: Cindy Werley ’98 (field hockey); Antawn Jamison ’99 (men’s basketball)
1999: Cindy Parlow ’00 (women’s soccer); Ebenezer Ekuban ’99 (football)
2000: Lorrie Fair ’00 (women’s soccer); Tripp Phillips ’99 (men’s tennis)
2001: Meredith Florance ’01 (women’s soccer); Brendan Haywood ’01 (men’s basketball)
2002: Katie Hathaway ’02 (women’s swimming); Danny Jackson ’01 (men’s soccer)
2003: Laura Greene ’03 (volleyball); Matt Crawford ’03 (men’s soccer)
2004: Shalane Flanagan ’05 (women’s track and field and cross country); Catherine Reddick ’04 (women’s soccer); Nicholas Monroe ’04 (men’s tennis)
2005: Alice Schmidt ’04 (women’s track and field and cross country); Jed Prossner ’05 (men’s lacrosse)
2006: Laura Gerraughty ’05 (women’s track and field); Andrew Miller ’07 (baseball)
2007: Ivory Latta ’07 (women’s basketball); Heather O’Reilly, senior (women’s soccer); Robert Woodard ’07 (baseball)
Related coverage is available online:
- LattaTUDE: Armed with everything she needs to get you physically and mentally, Ivory Latta enters her senior year as the most-watched player in the women’s game.
From the November/December 2006 issue of the Carolina Alumni Review, available online to Carolina Alumni members. - O’Reilly, Freshmen Lead Heels Back to Women’s Soccer Title
News report from December 2006 - Senior-Freshman Duo Helps Heels Even Series With Rice
News report from June 2007 - Heels Win Their Most Ever, But the Trophy Goes West Again
News report from June 2007
