Rammys recognize Tar Heel successes

From the opening strains of the all-sports video score to the closing cheers of the alma mater, the fourth-annual Rammy Awards highlighted Carolina’s successes of the past year within the Department of Athletics and beyond. The awards show recognized student-athletes and teams that have excelled academically, athletically and in service, as well as giving a shout-out to other notable members of the University community.

“It’s great to gather all of our students and teams together to celebrate the successes of the past year,” said Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “They’ve worked so hard and had outstanding results. As a department, we value the opportunity to honor and recognize them for the things they’ve accomplished. This event is fun for all of us, and it gets better every year.”

Patrick Riess, a junior on the swimming and diving team, and Kendra Douglas, a senior on the track and field team, served as hosts of the event. They were barely into their opening when they were joined on stage by men’s basketball sophomore Theo Pinson, who became known during this year’s NCAA Tournament for showing up on stage uninvited.

With the crowd laughing, presenters from the Student-Athlete Advisory Council launched into the first award, for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. Gab Major from field hockey and Joel Berry II from men’s basketball, both sophomores, were the first honorees, taking the stage to receive gold Rammy statuettes from their fellow Tar Heels.

Student awards and presentations continued for the next hour, and in between them the Tar Heels, including Chancellor Carol L. Folt, paid tribute to another Carolina highlight of the past year. Dr. Aziz Sancar, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015, was in the crowd and he stood to a loud ovation. On stage, his Nobel Prize medal, as well as that of another Carolina winner, Dr. Oliver Smithies, were among the championship trophies on display.

“Celebrating championships never gets old and this year we also had the unique honor of celebrating a University academic championship with Dr. Sancar and his Nobel Prize,” Cunningham said.

The Tar Heels also honored Joy Renner, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Radiologic Science, for her outstanding service as chair of the Faculty Athletics Committee.

Several student-athletes showed off their musical and language talents during the evening. Blake Dodge from the track and field team played the banjo and sang while Kali Becker from the swimming and diving team accompanied her in American Sign Language. Erika Johnson from the women’s basketball team sang as Lucas Popp from the men’s swimming and diving team played the piano. And Arielle Patra from rowing played the guitar and sang while Tyler Lynn from baseball accompanied on guitar.

Additionally, divers Ozzie Moyer and Jack Nyquist, with lots of help from their fellow students, wrote and recorded a rap. In reviewing high points of the past year and the fun of being a UNC student-athlete, it wrapped up the evening perfectly.

2016 Rammy Awards

Breakthrough Athlete:
Gab Major (Field Hockey) and Joel Berry II (Men’s Basketball)

Record-Breaking Performance:
Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson (Men’s Basketball), and Pinson crashed that, too.

Outstanding Newcomers:
Tucker Hume (Men’s Soccer), Marie McCool (Women’s Lacrosse), Stephanie Watts (Women’s Basketball)

Best Play:
Marquise Williams and Ryan Switzer (Football)

Best Upset:
Men’s Tennis for its win at the ITA National Team Indoors

Championship Performance:
Hayley Carter and Whitney Kay (Women’s Tennis)

Athletes of the Year:
Hayley Carter (Women’s Tennis), Brice Johnson (Men’s Basketball)

Outstanding Team:
Men’s Basketball

John Lotz Award, for showing a passion to succeed under adverse circumstances
Paige Nielsen (Women’s Soccer) and Mitch DeForest (Men’s Swimming)

Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, which goes to the male and female senior student-athletes with highest GPAs
Carly Wooten (Women’s Fencing) and Houston Summers (Men’s Track and Field)

McCaskill Award, which goes to the top all-around seniors
Emma Nunn (Women’s Swimming and Diving) and Sam Lewis (Men’s Swimming and Diving)

Ultimate Team, a group of outstanding seniors, including the McCaskill winners
Ashley Dai (Women’s Tennis), Paige Neuenfeldt (Volleyball), Jonathan Campbell (Men’s Soccer), Shakeel Rashad (Football)

ACC Top Six for Service, which goes to six individuals or teams at each conference school who excel in community outreach:
Men’s Tennis Team, Stephanie Wangerin (Rowing), Sheila Doyle (Volleyball), Austin Proehl (Football), Abby Fisher and Katie McKay (Women’s Swimming and Diving) and Jillian Ferraro (Softball)

To see more photos from the Rammys, click here.