Notebook: UNC athletes, athletics staff to volunteer for Habitat effort

UNC student-athletes will use their strength for more than sports Saturday.

More than 100 student-athletes from the university will volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. Athletics director Bubba Cunningham and football coach Larry Fedora will attend as well as other staff from the athletics department and The Rams Club. The goal is that the day of service will become a regular endeavor for UNC athletics.

The volunteers will work in Tinnin Woods. Volunteer activities will include landscaping for new Habitat homes, repairing a fence and painting tool sheds.

Over the past year, various UNC sports teams have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, including women’s rowing, field hockey and the national championship women’s lacrosse team.

Duke: Redshirt senior Jela Duncan and junior Shaun Wilson have been named to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, an honor presented annually to the nation’s top running back.

UNC: Junior Elijah Hood is one of the preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award. Nominations for the award will be accepted through October.

N.C. State: Senior Matthew Dayes added to his list of preseason honors, as he was named to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award.

UNC: The tar Heels’ nonconference schedule for the 2016-17 season will include eight home games, two games in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and the program will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in the Bahamas. The ACC schedule will feature home-and-home games with Duke and N,C, State, home games against Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia and Wake Forest; and road contests at Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

Wake Forest: The Deacons will play Texas-El Paso in the first round of the Gildan Charleston Classic on Nov. 17, at the TD Arena in Charleston, S.C. The tournament bracket was announced Thursday. The matchup is the second of four games on the opening day of the tournament and will tip off at 1:30 p.m.

Duke: Rising junior Nicolas Alvarez will take part in the Davis Cup for Peru this weekend in the second round of the Group II Americas against Mexico. Alvarez will play singles against Lucas Gomez, who is ranked No. 530 by the ATP, The winner of the best-of-5 matches will advance to the Group II Americas final.

N.C. State: Jonathan Addison and Alexis Perry are slated to represent Team USA at the NACAC U23 Championships in El Salvador over the weekend. Both will compete in the long jump. Assistant coach Tamara Ards is serving as the event manager for Team USA.

Duke: Coach Pam Bustin and the Blue Devils will welcome graduate student Aisling Naughton to the program for the 2016 campaign. A native of Dublin, Ireland, Naughton is enrolled in the Duke Fuqua School of Business’ Master of Management Studies program.

From news releases

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Notebook: UNC athletes, athletics staff to volunteer for Habitat effort."