Dec. 6, 2004

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Karen Shelton, the head coach of the North Carolina field hockey program for the last 24 seasons, has been honored as the South Region Coach of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.

Also recognized were American's Steve Jennings (MidAtlantic Region), Connecticut's Nancy Stevens (Mideast Region), Northeastern's Cheryl Murtagh (Northeast Region) and Pacific's Linda MacDonald (West Region). The five regional honorees are candidates for the NFHCA's National Coach of the Year award, to be announced in January.

Shelton was named 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year as she led the Tar Heels to a 21-2 record and an ACC title, the program's 15th. UNC was ranked No. 1 in the final poll of the season, released before start of the NCAA Tournament, in which Carolina fell in the second round.

UNC's head coach since 1981, Shelton has led the Tar Heels to four NCAA titles (1989, 1995, 1996, 1997) and has been named national coach of the year three times. She holds a career record of 397-109-9.