Four Tar Heels earn most prestigious athletics award given at North Carolina

If you're a fan of North Carolina Tar Heel Athletics, it's certain that you've heard of the Patterson Medal.

In case you're unfamiliar, the Patterson Award is the most prestigious athletics award given at the University of North Carolina. Patterson Medals are awarded primarily on career athletic accomplishments, as Dr. Joseph Patterson first presented the medal in 1924 to honor the memory of his brother, John Durand Patterson.

To be eligible for the award, recipients must have competed in at least three seasons for their respective teams at North Carolina and have concluded their collegiate eligibility. Sportsmanship and leadership are also major components that are considered while awarding student-athletes.

The 101st class of this prestigious award yields four recipients that have truly made a lasting impact on the University of North Carolina as a whole.

Armando Bacot (men's basketball), Fiona Crawley (women's tennis), Austin Greaser (men's golf) and Vance Honeycutt (baseball) are the Patterson Medal recipients for the 2023-2024 school year. These four student-athletes have combined to compete in a staggering 17 seasons for the University of North Carolina.

Bacot becomes the 33rd UNC basketball player to win the Patterson Award, as he's the first since Luke Maye to accomplish the feat. The Richmond, Virginia native put together a record-setting career as a Tar Heel, as he finishes his time in Chapel Hill as the school's all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles.

Crawley can simply be defined as a winner, as she won 141 matches as a member of the UNC women's tennis team. A four-time All-ACC and All-American selection, Crawley led the Tar Heels to their first National Championship during the 2023 season, as she helped make history in Chapel Hill.

Greaser led North Carolina to top-five finishes in each of the last four NCAA Championships, which is something that no other program in the nation accomplished during that span. He earned second-team All-America honors in 2024 and joined Dustin Bray as the only Tar Heels to earn All-ACC honors on four separate occasions.

Honeycutt, who is projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming 2024 MLB Draft, leaves Chapel Hill as the Diamond Heels home run king. One of the top five-tool players in the country, Honeycutt showcased his speed, power, athleticism and of course, defensive skills throughout his three seasons as a Tar Heel. While leading the Tar Heels to the College World Series, Honeycutt became the first Diamond Heel ever to earn first-team All-America honors as a player and first-team Academic All-America honors. He is two-time ACC Defensive Player-of-the Year honors and also picked up a Rawlings Gold Glove for his stellar defensive play.

This is a special group of Tar Heels that were selected as Patterson Medal recipients for the 2023-2024 school year, as they are student-athletes that will be remembered for quite some time.