ACC Conference Points of Pride for January 20, 2023

Thanks to @ASD_Hokiesmash   for sending this ACC Press Release.

These are ACC Points of Pride for January 20, 2023.

ACC

The ACC led the way in the 2022-23 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup Division I fall standings. The ACC leads all conferences with four schools in the top 10, and 10 schools among the top 25 of the current standings. North Carolina holds the top spot, while Syracuse checks in at No. 5, Pitt is tied for No. 6 and Virginia holds the No. 9 spot. Notre Dame and Florida State rank 13th and 14th respectively, followed by No. 17 Duke, No. 19 Wake Forest, No. 21 NC State and No. 22 Louisville.

The ACC has 13 programs ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective sports – the most among all conferences. Teams earning a No. 1 or No. 2 ranking in a major poll are:
Louisville volleyball (No. 2 – AVCA)
North Carolina field hockey (No. 1 – NFHCA)
North Carolina women’s lacrosse (No. 1 Preseason – USA Lacrosse Magazine)
North Carolina women’s soccer (No. 2 – United Soccer Coaches)
North Carolina women’s tennis (No. 2 – ITA)
NC State women’s cross country (No. 1 – USTFCCCA)
Notre Dame men’s fencing (No. 1 Preseason – US Fencing Coaches Association)
Notre Dame women’s fencing (No. 2 Preseason – US Fencing Coaches Association)
Syracuse men’s soccer (No. 1 – United Soccer Coaches)
Virginia men’s lacrosse (No. 1 Preseason – USA Lacrosse Magazine)
Virginia women’s swimming and diving (No. 1 – CSCAA)
Virginia men’s tennis (No. 1 – ITA)
Wake Forest women’s golf (No. 2 – WGCA)

The ACC leads all conferences in 2022-23 NCAA championships with three. The next closest has two. Overall, there are five national championship games for ACC-sponsored sports in the fall, and ACC teams played in four of those games:
Field hockey (North Carolina defeated Northwestern, 2-1)
Men’s soccer (Syracuse defeated Indiana, 7-6, in PKs)
Women’s soccer (North Carolina lost to UCLA, 3-2)
Volleyball (Louisville lost to Texas, 3-0)

SiriusXM aired an Atlantic Coast Conference softball preview show on Thursday, Jan. 19 from 2-6 p.m. Hosted by SiriusXM and ESPN’s Dani Wexelman, the show features interviews with all 13 head coaches and 14 student-athletes. The preview show is available on demand on the SXM App with clips on ACC and SiriusXM social media channels.

The ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship will be played in Charlotte at American Legion Memorial Stadium from April 26-30. Corrigan Sports and Queen City Soccer Club LLC have partnered to bring the fast-growing ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship to Charlotte at the newly redesigned and built American Legion Memorial Stadium.

ACC Network

The 2023 ACC football schedule will be unveiled live during a two-hour special ACC Huddle: 2023 Football Schedule Reveal on Monday, Jan. 30, in primetime at 7 p.m. ET, exclusively on ACC Network. Jordan Cornette will host the two-hour special and will be joined by Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt on January 30 as they reveal each team’s full 2023 schedule along with key matchups and weeks.

Football

Florida State is ranked No. 4 in ESPN.com’s Way Too Early Top 25 Poll and is joined by No. 15 Clemson and No. 21 North Carolina.

Six ACC football programs will face Notre Dame in 2023. NC State (Sept. 9), Duke (Sept. 30), Louisville (Oct. 7) and Clemson (Nov. 4) will host the Fighting Irish, while Pitt (Oct. 28) and Wake Forest (Nov. 18) will play at Notre Dame.

Three ACC teams finished in the Top 25 of both the AP and AFCA Coaches Polls. In the AP poll, Florida State finished No. 11, Clemson was No. 13 and Pitt was No. 22. Duke was the first team receiving votes and was joined by North Carolina, NC State and Louisville. In the Coaches poll, Florida State was No. 10, Clemson was No. 12 and Pitt was No. 22. Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and Louisville all received votes.

Boston College claimed a share of the 2022 AFCA Academic Achievement Award for a perfect 100 Graduation Success Rate. The award marked the fifth for BC and first since 2004. BC earned a score of 100 for its complete graduation of its 2015 freshman class.

North Carolina QB Drake Maye has been named Freshman Player of the Year presented by Chris Doering Mortgage, the Football Writers Association of America announced on Thursday. A redshirt freshman, Maye was also named a member of the FWAA Freshman All-America team along with Clemson OL Blake Miller and Virginia Tech DB Mansoor Delane.

Pitt football student-athlete Deslin Alexandre has been named the male recipient of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award given to the most outstanding role models among athletes. Named after legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to six distinguished athletes for their character and leadership, both on and off the field: one male and one female professional or Olympic recipient, one male and one female collegiate athlete, and a male and female athlete from American high schools.

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame has announced the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which includes four players and two coaches representing the ACC. Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, Miami offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, Syracuse defensive end Dwight Freeney, Virginia Tech defensive lineman Corey Moore were named to the 2023 class and will be joined by former Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson and former Miami head coach and current ACC Network personality Mark Richt.

Seven of the 15 finalists for the 2023 NFL Hall of Fame class are from an ACC school. The 2023 finalists include Ronde Barber, DB (Virginia), Dwight Freeney, DE (Syracuse), Devin Hester, PR/KR/WR (Miami), Torry Holt, WR (NC State), Andre Johnson, WR (Miami), Darrelle Revis, CB (Pitt), Reggie Wayne, WR (Miami).

The ACC had 12 former players start at quarterback in the NFL this season – most of any conference.

Seven former ACC football players have been named as their NFL team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient. No other conference had more representatives. Those honored are Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom (Boston College), Baltimore’s Chuck Clark (Virginia Tech), Jacksonville’s Tyler Shatley (Clemson), Las Vegas’ A.J. Cole (NC State), Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James Jr. (Florida State), Los Angeles Rams’ Tremayne Anchrum (Clemson) and Miam’s Jaelan Phillips (Miami). Considered the league’s most prestigious honor, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities off the field, as well as excellence on the field. The winner will be announced on the Thursday prior to the Super Bowl.

Baltimore’s Calais Campbell (Miami) and Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook (Florida State) are two of the eight finalists for the NFL’s 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. No other conference had more than one finalist.

Men’s Basketball

Three ACC teams are ranked nationally in the latest Associated Press poll, with Virginia at No. 10, Miami at No. 17 and Clemson joining the poll at No. 19. The Tigers are ranked for the first time since Jan. 18, 2021. Duke, North Carolina and NC State are receiving votes.

Eight ACC teams are among the top 60 in the NCAA’s Friday NET report.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey announced Thursday he will step away from the program after the season. In 23 seasons at ND, Brey has compiled 481 victories, made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and won the 2015 ACC Championship.

Virginia’s Tony Bennett needs one win to reach 400 career victories. He set the UVa program record for career wins on Jan. 7 and currently has 330 wins at UVa.

Seven ACC players are on the Oscar Robertson Award Midseason Watch List, released Thursday (second most of any league): Clemson’s Hunter Tyson, Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, Miami’s Isaiah Wong, UNC’s Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, NC State’s Terquavion Smith and Wake Forest’s Tyree Appleby.

Six ACC players rank among the top 20 nationally in double-doubles: UNC’s Armando Bacot (fourth, 11), Clemson’s Hunter Tyson (seventh, 10), FSU’s Matthew Cleveland, Miami’s Norchad Omier and Syracuse’s Jesse Edwards (12th with nine apiece) and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski (20th, 8). Filipowski leads all freshmen nationally in double-doubles.

Wake Forest currently owns a 15-game home win streak, which is the longest active streak in the ACC and tied for fifth longest in the nation.

The ACC won the 24th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, taking eight of the 14 matchups from Nov. 28-30. ACC teams won three road games and also scored a pair of wins over ranked foes (Notre Dame vs. No. 20 Michigan State, Duke vs. No. 25 Ohio State).

The ACC finished with a 13-8-3 edge in the event, with ACC teams posting a 152-127 record. This marked the final year of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. As announced Nov. 28, the ACC/SEC Challenge will begin in 2023.

Four ACC coaches – most of any league – rank among the top 20 nationally in wins among active coaches: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (first, 1,010), Miami’s Jim Larrañaga (ninth, 711), FSU’s Leonard Hamilton (16th, 601) and Notre Dame’s Mike Brey (18th, 580).

For the fourth straight season, ACC teams will play 20-game conference schedules. As part of this schedule, each team plays six opponents twice as well as eight teams once apiece (four home only/four road only). The schedule rotations for the 2022-23 through 2024-25 seasons are available at theACC.com.

Women’s Basketball

The ACC concluded its non-conference portion of the regular season with a 139-31 (.818) overall record, headlined by a 28-18 record against Power-5 opponents.

The ACC finished with 31 wins against the top six conferences in the country, the most wins of any conference.

In the latest edition of the NCAA NET rankings released on Friday, Notre Dame leads the way at No. 6, Duke is No. 9 and NC State is No. 13. Florida State landed at No. 16, North Carolina moved up to No. 19 and Virginia Tech is slotted No. 22 to round out the Top 25. The six teams in the top 25 are the most among any Division I conference.

In the latest AP Poll, five ACC teams earn spots in the Top 25. Notre Dame is at No. 7, while Virginia Tech and Duke at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively. North Carolina moved up to No. 17, while NC State is at No. 20. Miami, Florida State and Louisville are receiving votes.

In the USA TODAY/Coaches Poll released Tuesday, five ACC teams are in the Top 25, as Notre Dame continues to lead the way at No. 7. Virginia Tech is at No. 10, Duke gained five spots to No. 14, NC State landed at No 18 and North Carolina jumped to No. 20.

No. 13 Duke saw its 11-game winning streak halted on Thursday, as No. 17 North Carolina defeated the Blue Devils 61-56 in Chapel Hill. The second-longest winning streak was also stopped last night, as Miami fell to No. 20 NC State, 71-61. The Tar Heels now hold the ACC’s longest winning streak with four wins in-a-row.

Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson continues to lead the ACC and all NCAA freshmen with 23.9 points per game. In Thursday’s road win at Virginia, Latson became the fastest player to reach 500 points in program history. The Miami, Florida, native has won the ACC Rookie of the Week award a record-tying nine times this season.

Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles is the only player to rank in the top 10 in the ACC in points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game. The sophomore ranks sixth in the conference in points per game (15.8), eighth in rebounds per game (7.7) and leads the league in assists per game (7.2).

Three ACC standouts were named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List, announced by the USBWA on Jan. 11. The Watch List included: Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Ta’Niya Latson (Florida State) and Olivia Miles (Notre Dame).

On Jan. 4, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced its Top 25 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s. The ACC finished with five selections, the second-most among all conferences. The Watch List includes: Deja Kelly (North Carolina), Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Ta’Niya Latson (Florida State), Olivia Miles (Notre Dame) and Hailey Van Lith (Louisville).

The ACC won the 15th and final installment of the ACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge, capturing eight of the 14 matchups. Within the slate of games, the ACC finished 5-2 in road contests.

Baseball

Seven ACC teams are ranked among the top 25 in the D1Baseball preseason poll. No. 6 Wake Forest is joined by No. 12 North Carolina, No. 14 Virginia Tech, No. 16 Louisville, No. 19 Virginia, No. 21 NC State and No. 22 Miami. The season opens for all NCAA Division I teams on Friday, Feb. 17. ACC teams wrap up regular-season play on Saturday, May 20, with the ACC Baseball Championship set for May 23-28 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.

Led by five selections from Wake Forest and three from Virginia Tech, 16 ACC players were named Preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game. The ACC contingent includes four first-team selections in Virginia third baseman Jake Gelof, North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt, Wake Forest starting pitcher Rhett Lowder and Miami reliever Andrew Walters. Nine ACC squads had at least one player selected first-, second- or third-team. Wake Forest’s five selections led the nation.

Led by No. 5 Wake Forest, seven ACC baseball teams are among the top 25 of Perfect Game’s 2023 preseason poll. The Demon Deacons are joined among the top 10 by No. 7 Louisville and No. 9 Miami. Defending ACC champion North Carolina is at No. 13, followed by No. 15 Virginia Tech, No. 19 Virginia and No. 21 NC State.

Nine ACC players — including four first-team selections — were named to the 2023 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-America Team Powered by Diamond Sports. First-team selections included 2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder of Wake Forest, Miami closer Andrew Walters, Virginia third baseman Jake Gelof and North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt.

Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 50 preseason poll includes 10 ACC teams, including three among the top 10. Louisville leads at No. 6, followed by No. 8 Miami and No. 10 Wake Forest. Defending ACC champion North Carolina checks in at No. 11, followed by No. 16 Virginia and No. 23 Georgia Tech among the top 25. Virginia Tech is at No. 28, followed by No. 30 NC State, No. 32 Florida State and No. 42 Clemson.

Field Hockey

For the fourth year in a row, North Carolina’s Erin Matson is a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey. A five-time ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Matson led the Tar Heels to the 2022 NCAA Championship and was named the NCAA Tournament MVP. She finished her Tar Heel career as the all-time scoring leader in ACC history and in NCAA Tournament play. Matson, who won the Honda Award in 2019 and 2020, has a chance to join recently retired UNC coach Karen Shelton as the only player to receive the Honda Award for Field Hockey three times. Matson could also join NC State’s Katelyn Tuohy (cross country) to give the ACC two Honda sport award winners for the fall sports season.

Swimming & Diving

In the latest CSCAA Women’s Top 25 Poll, Virginia took over the top spot at No. 1, followed by No. 4 NC State, No. 8 Louisville, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 22 Duke.

Six ACC teams are ranked on the men’s side – NC State at No. 3, Virginia at No. 11 Louisville at No. 18, Virginia Tech at No. 19, Georgia Tech at No. 21 and Notre Dame at No. 23.

Multiple swimmers and relay squads across the ACC currently hold some of the fastest times in the nation.

Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
50 free, 20.94
Also owns second fastest time, 21.02
100 IM, 52.09
Kate Douglass (UVA) has the second fastest time, 53.01
100 back, 50.13 (second fastest time)
100 free, 46.89 (second fastest time)

Alex Walsh, Virginia
500 free, 4:38.34

Kate Douglass, Virginia
50 fly, 23.09 (second fastest time)
200 IM, 1:52.07
200 breast, 2:01.87
Also owns second fastest time, 2:03.57
Teammate Alex Walsh has the third and fourth fastest times (2:03.93 and 2:05.20).

Ella Nelson, Virginia
400 IM, 4:03.61

Virginia women
200 medley relay, 1:34.34
NC State owns the second fastest time, 1:34.37
400 free relay (second fastest time), 3:11.18 AND third fastest time, 3:11.34

In the 200 free women’s relay, ACC teams make up four of the five fastest times in the nation.
2. Virginia, 1:26.96
3. UNC, 1:26.99
4. Louisville, 1.27.03
5. Virginia, 1:27.30

Kacper Stokowski, NC State
100 back, 45.02

Track & Field

Florida State record-setting hurdler Trey Cunningham was named the winner of The 2022 Bowerman. Cunningham became the second athlete from Florida State to win collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor, joining former collegiate record-holder Ngoni Makusha (2011). Cunningham clocked the second-fastest time in collegiate history in the 60m indoor hurdles (7.38) in the national championship race. Cunningham also tied for the second-fastest time in collegiate history in the 110m hurdles national championship race with a blistering time of 13.00.

Florida State sprinter Ismael Kone posted a world-leading time of 6.51 in the 60-meter dash during the Seminoles’ indoor season opener at Clemson on Jan. 13. Kone set a Florida State school record and tied the ACC mark set by Clemson’s Jacoby Ford during the 2009 ACC Indoor Championships.

Tennis

Twelve teams are ranked across men’s and women’s tennis in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Top 25 rankings.

On the men’s side, defending NCAA Champion Virginia came in at No. 1, followed by No. 10 Florida State, No. 14 Wake Forest and No. 18 North Carolina. Duke is No. 20 and NC State is No. 21.

On the women’s side, North Carolina ranks No. 2, NC State is No. 3, Duke is No. 6, and Virginia is No. 9. Miami ranks No. 11 and Georgia Tech rounds out the rankings at No. 25.

Wrestling

Five ACC matches highlight the ACC Network’s Friday Night Duals slate, beginning with this Friday night’s much-anticipated 7 p.m. showdown between No. 5 NC State and No. 8 Virginia Tech at the Hokies’ Cassell Coliseum. Veteran ACC wrestling announcers Shawn Kenney and Rock Harrison will be hand for the first installment of the Duals, which will be aired every Friday night through Feb. 17.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship, set for Sunday, March 5 at NC State’s Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum. Tickets are priced at $10 for adults (ages 19 and older; ACC students get in free with school ID) and $7 for youth ages 18 and under. Group sales (15 or more) are priced at $5 – please contact the NC State ticket office directly for group sales. Tickets may be purchased online at https://theacc.co/23ACCtix. All seating for the tournament is General Admission.

A season-high 41 ACC wrestlers are ranked among the top 33 in their respective weight classes by InterMat in its Jan. 17 edition, including seven among the top five. Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi continues to hold the No. 2 spot at 197 pounds. Pitt’s Clay Matthews (141), Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis (174) and NC State’s Trent Hidlay (184) each rank No 3, while North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor is No. 4 at 157 pounds, and Pitt freshman heavyweight Dayton Pitzer ranks No. 5. Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona is also up to No. 5 in the 133-pound weight class.

The ACC is well represented in the InterMat rankings with five wrestlers listed at 141, 149 and 184 pounds. Three wrestlers are among the top 10 at 157 with UNC’s No. 4 O’Connor followed by No. 6 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech and No. 7 Ed Scott of NC State.

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