May 13, 2001

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--The University of North Carolina softball team received the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history on Sunday and will face the University of Massachusetts on Thursday in Norman, Okla. Game time is set for 5 p.m. CT. UNC (37-17-1) was one of 24 teams to receive at-large bids into the 48-team field.

"This is huge for our program," said Carolina coach Donna Papa, who is in her 16th year as the UNC coach. "Reaching the NCAA Tournament has been a goal of ours and it's hard to believe it has finally happened. I keep having to pinch myself."

Joining the Tar Heels and Massachusetts (43-11) in Norman are Lehigh, Seton Hall, Washington and the defending-champion Sooners. Regional play continues through Sunday with a double-elimination format. One squad from each of the eight six-team regions will advance on to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the Women's College World Series May 24-28.

Oklahoma Softball Complex will be a familiar venue for the Tar Heels, who played in a tournament hosted by OU there in March. At the Worth Invitational March 9-11, UNC fell to Oklahoma 8-0 but picked up wins against Southwest Missouri State (9-1), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (10-2) and Louisiana-Monroe (4-3).

The trip will allow senior pitcher Radara McHugh to play in her home state one more time in a Carolina uniform. The right-hander, who was named ACC Tournament MVP on Sunday, is from Tulsa, Okla. She is 23-10 this season and during her four years at UNC has taken over most of the team's career pitching records.

The Tar Heels reached several program milestones on Sunday. Earlier in the day, five hours before the announcement of the NCAA bids, Carolina beat Florida State 4-1 to claim its first conference crown.

"It's been my dream as a coach for us to win the ACC Championship and go to NCAA regionals," Papa said. "To have them happen in the same day is overwhelming."