Feb. 29, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina's Rachel Dawson has been selected as the 2007 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey, commissioner John Swofford announced Friday.

The Scholar-Athlete Award was established this past September to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sport. Candidates for the award must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 during the last two semesters.

Dawson, a senior defender for North Carolina's 2007 national championship squad, was named to the All-ACC Academic Field Hockey Team for the second time in 2007. A six-time Dean's List honoree at UNC, she is a three-time member of the NFHCA National Academic Squad and a three-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Dawson graduated with distinction in December of 2007 from UNC's Kenan-Flagler School of Business.

In 2007, Dawson scored 19 goals as the Tar Heels recorded a perfect 24-0 record en route to the national title. For her play, the Berlin, N.J., native was selected as the recipient of the Honda Sports Award, given annually to the nation's top player. In addition to her national honors, Dawson was chosen as the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year and the ACC Championship MVP.