WASHINGTON, D.C. – Carolina’s NCAA Championship teams celebrated with champs from across the country on Monday as the White House hosted College Athlete Day. The UNC field hockey and women’s tennis teams joined hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and staff members representing 19 different sports for the reception on the White House lawn.
The Tar Heels’ two titles – field hockey claimed its 10th title back in November and women’s tennis won the program’s first just last month – marked the 12th time in school history that multiple UNC teams have won NCAA titles in the same academic year. Tar Heels also won individual titles in women’s diving, wrestling and women’s tennis.
At the White House, the teams heard from Vice President Kamala Harris, who spoke of the ways that college teams bring people together, “connecting us to our home states and our colleges; connecting us to family traditions, friends, and fellow fans; connecting us to something bigger.”
Harris was joined by NCAA President Charlie Baker in speaking to the assembled student-athletes. Video of the ceremony is here and the transcript of Harris’ remarks is here.
“This has been such an unbelievable experience for our team,” said Sophia Patel, the women’s tennis team captain. “Not only did we win a national championship but UNC gave us the opportunity to come here and see this beautiful city and the White House and meet the Vice President.”
Patel and field hockey’s Erin Matson represented their teams on the White House stage – a member of each championship team stood behind Harris and Baker as they spoke.
The event was open to national championship teams from all three NCAA divisions, and a total of 47 teams attended the event.
After the White House, the Tar Heels had lunch at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center then sat in the U.S. House of Representatives gallery to hear part of a session.
Before heading home, the teams gathered on the Capitol steps to meet with U.S. Representative Valerie Foushee, a UNC graduate who represents Chapel Hill.
“It was really special to have field hockey and women’s tennis here together and to get to visit the White House with so many other championship teams,” said Matson, the 2022 National Player of the Year for field hockey and now the Tar Heels’ head coach. “Getting to actually meet both Vice…
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