Caitlyn wurburger heads into her final postseason with a chance to further distinguish her already notable but somewhat underappreciated career.
In the team’s regular-season finale against Duke, the senior co-captain quietly surpassed Marie McCool, a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist, to become fifth all-time in North Carolina scoring with her 247th point.
Reflecting on her journey, Wurzburger said, “It’s crazy how quickly these four years have gone. It reminds me of how far we’ve come since freshman year.”
This spring, Wurzburger is the Tar Heels’ second-leading scorer and has the opportunity to climb higher in the program’s ranks as she aims to help fourth-seeded UNC advance against fifth-seeded Virginia in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte.
UNC, with a 10-5 overall record and 6-3 in the ACC, seeks to overcome regular-season setbacks that occurred as they adjusted to challenging injuries
“I wouldn’t sleep on us,” said UNC coach Jenny Levy. “We’re a team that knows how to win and believes in our training processes and player development. We’re not quitting on ourselves, so nobody else should either.”
The ACC tournament schedule includes Louisville-Syracuse at 11 a.m., Carolina-Virginia at 2 p.m., Clemson-Notre Dame at 5 p.m., and Duke-Boston College at 8 p.m. North Carolina previously defeated Virginia 10-9 in overtime on February 23 and hasn’t lost to Virginia since May 17, 2014. Quarterfinal winners will advance to Friday’s semifinals, with the championship set for noon on Sunday. North Carolina, which won six consecutive ACC tournament titles until Boston College’s victory last year, will be playing with determination.
“We might not have as many big names and All-Americans as other teams,” Wurzburger said. “But if you’re around this team, you see how special they are and how much they genuinely enjoy each other’s company. I think that will show on the field in the coming weeks.”
Wurzburger, a prominent name even before her freshman year in Chapel Hill, originally committed to Syracuse at 14, the youngest-ever Division I commit. She later switched to North Carolina as a junior at American Heritage-Delray (Fla.), where she set a national record with 1,027 career points on 503 goals and 524 assists over six varsity seasons. In high school, she also led the U.S. U19 national team to the 2019 World Cup gold with 40 points on 21 goals and a U19 tournament-record 19 assists.
“She maximized her opportunities.”
