General News

For the first time ever, UNC Charlotte’s speech team has placed in the top 20 in a national speech tournament, competing against more than 150 teams from across the nation in the National Forensic Association’s championship tournament held in Santa Ana, California.

Charlotte 49ers record-breaking running back Benny LeMay has earned a spot among The Sporting News’ Top 25 College Running Backs headed into the 2019 season.

LeMay ranked second in Conference USA and 20th in the FBS with a 103.6 rushing average in 2018. The second team all-C-USA choice ran for 1,243 yards, becoming the first 49er to rush for 1,000 yards at the FBS level. He scored 11 touchdowns, the most by a 49er at the FBS level and set a school record with four rushing touchdowns vs. FIU. 

The University Recreation Center, scheduled to open during the upcoming fall semester, will respond to UNC Charlotte’s growing demand for dedicated student recreation and fitness space.

The Charlotte 49ers had a record eight players named to the Athlon Sports preseason all-Conference USA teams. Five earned first team honors, second-most in the league.

Prolific running back Benny LeMay and offensive line anchor Cam Clark were named first team all-offense. Havoc-wreaking defensive end Alex Highsmith and safety Ben DeLuca were named first team all-defense. Standout sophomore kicker Jonathan Cruz was named a first team specialist.

Fred Whitfield, president and chief operating officer for the Hornets Sports & Entertainment, is the 2019 recipient of the UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award.

Cato College of Education alumna Tiffany Hollis ’17, an assistant professor at Coastal Carolina University, was recently named that institution’s 2019 Professor of the Year. Hollis earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction  with a focus on Urban Education from UNC Charlotte.

The Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation will host the 36th annual Great Gold Rush Auction, Saturday, June 1, in Halton Arena, located in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.

Earlier this year, UNC Charlotte competed in the national RecycleMania competition, involving 300 colleges in 43 states. The RecycleMania competition results were released recently. This year, UNC Charlotte composted or recycled 69.5 million pounds of waste, and 300 million single-use plastic bottles were collected during the competition.

The UNC Charlotte Veteran Services Office will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Veterans Park at 9:30 a.m., Monday, May 27.

Christopher Orr ’18 conceived Veterans Park to recognize UNC Charlotte’s historical connections to veteran students and to honor all past, present and future veterans who would attend or work at the University. UNC Charlotte was founded in 1946 as the Charlotte Center in part to provide educational opportunities to veterans who returned from World War II.

The results are in, and UNC Charlotte’s 49er Rocketry Team achieved major success at this year’s NASA Student Launch Competition.