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Jenna Long and Sara Anundsen Named Progress Energy Performers Of The Week
May 14, 2007
Jenna Long and Sara Anundsen rallied from a 6-1 deficit to win the crucial doubles point and spark the women's tennis team to an NCAA Tournament second round win over Duke and earn Progress Energy Tar Heels of the Week for May 7-13, 2007. The senior tandem, the No. 2 duo in the nation, helped lead UNC to wins over Marist and No. 22 Duke. With the win over Duke, the Tar Heels advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third straight season. On Saturday, Long and Anundsen scored an 8-0 win over Marist's previously-unbeaten No. 1 doubles team. Anundsen added a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles to help UNC to a 4-0 sweep of the Red Foxes. On Sunday, the seniors fell behind Duke's No. 10 Daniela Bercek and Melissa Mang 6-1 before rallying for a dramatic 9-8 win to clinch the doubles point. Long then scored a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bercek at No. 1 singles. Other nominees: KATE THOMAS Kate Thomas fired a two-under-par 70 in both the first and final rounds to lead the Tar Heels in the NCAA East Regional. Thomas finished with a two-under 214 total to tie for 13th place at the East Regional in Baton Rouge, La. The Tar Heels, tied for 11th place going into the final round, fired an eight-under 280 in Saturday¹s final round to jump up to a tie for fifth place with a two-under 862 total thus advancing on to the NCAA Championship. The Tar Heels are one of 24 teams that now travel to Dayton Beach, Fla., May 22-25 to participate in the NCAA Championship to be played at the LPGA International Golf Course. NICK OWENS Nick Owens posted the nation's best 2007 collegiate mark in the hammer throw at the UNC Elite Meet Saturday in Chapel Hill, tossing 231-5 to claim the event win and break his own school record in the process. Owens' heave bested the 229-9 mark he set last year and made him the first Tar Heel to ever crack 230 feet in the event. Up next for Owens and the No. 12 Carolina men is the NCAA Regional meet May 25-26. BRIE FELNAGLE At the UNC Elite Meet this weekend, Brie Felnagle ran a 4:11.86 to improve upon her own collegiate-best time in the women's 1,500 meters but was edged for the title in the event by UNC alumna Erin Donohue, who recorded the fastest time in the U.S. this year with her 4:09.32 clocking. For her own part, though, Felnagle's time moved her to second all-time at UNC in the 1,500 as she narrowly missed breaking Shalane Flanagan's record 4:11.60 time. EMILY TROUP Emily Troup's phenomenal week at the Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Championships was capped by her selection to the 2007 All-ACC Tournament team, the league announced Sunday. The sophomore outfielder hit .750 in three games for the Tar Heels on the weekend. Additionally, she scored two runs and collected three RBIs to help power UNC's offensive attack. Troup came up especially big in Carolina's two tournament wins, going 6-for-6 with three doubles and a triple in back-to-back games against Virginia and Boston College. With her selection, she becomes the 21st Tar Heel to make the All-ACC Tournament team. Crystal Cox and Jennifer Jacobs achieved the feat last year. REID FRONK Left fielder Reid Fronk led the No. 4 Tar Heels to a 4-1 week, which included three wins over ranked teams and a series victory over No. 24 Georgia Tech. He drove in a team-high eight runs on a 6-for-16 week, which included a double and two home runs. Fronk slugged a team-high .813 and also drew three walks and was hit by a pitch four times for a .542 on-base percentage. Fronk hit a two-run homer at East Carolina Wednesday before driving in three runs in Friday's win over Georgia Tech on a two-run double and a sacrifice fly. In Sunday's series-clinching win, he hit a solo home run and added an RBI single as Carolina rallied from a 7-0 deficit and tacked on a second run-scoring single in the seventh inning. He finished the Georgia Tech series 5-for-12 with six RBI. Fronk now has five home runs over the last seven games and shares the UNC lead with eight on the year. He is batting .321 with 41 RBI and leads the team with 55 runs scored. KELLY TAYLOR
Taylor scored three goals, including the game-winner, in Carolina's NCAA Tournament first-round win over Richmond on Sunday. Taylor scored all three of her goals in the first half as the Tar Heels built an insurmountable lead over the Spiders. The first of Taylor's goals was on a free position try and the second two were unassisted scores in a 4-0 UNC scoring run that put the game out of reach.
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