North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Rachel Dawson are finalists for 2008 ESPY awards, given by ESPN to the best collegiate athletes. Hansbrough is one of three finalists for the Best Male College Athlete and Dawson is in the final trio up for Best Female College Athlete. The awards will be given at the ESPYs show, which is to be televised July 20 at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

Fans can vote online for the awards at ESPN.com.

Hansbrough was everybody's Player of the Year after averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heel basketball squad, but Dawson garnered even more individual recognition. The USA Olympic team member captained UNC's undefeated field hockey season, was National Player of the Year, led the team in scoring and picked up her second straight ACC Defensive Player of the Year honor.

Hansbrough will contend with Florida's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow and Kansas State forward Michael Beasley, who "Psycho T" ousted in the voting for every major award given to college basketball's top player last season.

Dawson is up against Tennessee's two-time Final Four MVP Candace Parker, and Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher, who finished her career third on the all-time NCAA strikeout list.

Classroom stars

Six Carolina women's lacrosse players and four men's players were named to the 2008 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic team. Meg Freshwater, Erica LaGrow, Chelsea Parks, Kelly Taylor, Kristen Taylor and Corey Donohoe were the women's players to earn the distinction, with LaGrow making the squad for the third straight year. Grant Zimmerman, Ryan Flanagan, Michael J. Burns and Chris Hunt were the men's selections.