History

Player Highlights

Five former club members were in training with the U.S. National Team preparing for the 1996 Olympics, and two UNC alumni, John Keller, and Steven Penn, were starting members of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team Handball Team. Chrysandra Watts was a starter on the Women's Olympic Team and eventually served as a team captain.

CTHC goalie Tim Ammer trained and played with the USA Men's National Team from 1993-1994 and from 1995-1996. He played with the USA National Team in the 1994 Goodwill Games in Saint Petersburgh, Russia, and was named first alternate for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA.

In the summer of 2000 three Carolina players, Glenn Brooks, Robert Mayfield, and Jon-Breck Sampson, represented the United States in the Pan American games in Brazil. The USA Pan-Am team qualified for the 2001 World Championships in France, where Mayfield served as the Assistant Coach, while Sampson and CTHC player Bill Bigham were members of the National Team.

Carolina players Oye Orija and Charles Schuettinger represented the United States at the 2001 Jr. Pan-Am Games in Atlanta. In August 2002 Sampson and Wade Sutton were named to the USA Team Handball Pan-Am Championship Team. During the summer of 2003 Sampson, Kevin Williams and Blake Cloninger trained with the U.S. National Team. Sampson and Williams were named to the 2003 USA Pan American Games Team. Williams secured the starting spot at right wing. In the Bronze Medal Game in Santa Domingo, Williams helped the USA team to victory, scoring four goals. In the summer of 2004 Williams also participated in the Pan-Am Games in Chile.

In 2005 Alex McGlynn represented Carolina on the Junior National Team in Sweden and Denmark. Playing backcourt positions, he helped lead the team to two Silver Medal finishes in the B Final. McGlynn was named the “2005 USOC Male Athlete of the Year” for Team Handball and was a member the Men's National Team.

In 2018, Aaron Hamm was selected to play for the U21 National Team and played in Chicago and Kosovo in the International Handball Federation Trophy Tournament. In 2019, Hamm competed and contributed significantly in the backcourt and on defense in the World Championships held in Vigo, Spain.

The summer of 2022 saw Carolina Team Handball sophomore Connor Reed play with the USA Junior National Team in Mexico City. Reed contributed in all four matches scoring an international goal, and helped the U.S. Junior National Team qualify for the 2023 Junior World Championships in Germany and Greece in the summer of 2023. At the 2023 Junior World Championships Reed contributed to the USA Junior National Team securing playing time and demonstrating a strong defensive presence.

At the 2024 Collegiate National Championships (CNC) sophomore Johnathan Nwokwji was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Goalie Award. His consistent stellar play was characterized by point blank saves and several penalty shot saves.

Also in the 2024 CNC, senior Jackson Tumbarello was voted to the Division I All Tournamant Team. Tumbarello was a force in the backcourt and demonstrated his versatility by running as goalie and court player in the seven man offense.

Dr. John Silva, a University of North Carolina Professor Emeritus of Sport Psychology, founded Carolina Team Handball in January 1989.

He has worked with USA Team Handball as a sport psychology consultant and as the Chair of the Sport Science and Technology Committee. Dr. Silva coached the South Women to a Bronze Medal in the 1993 Olympic Festival, and the South Men to the Gold Medal in the 1995 Olympic Festival.

He was elected to and served on the Board of Directors for USA Team Handball from 2000-2004.

From 1989 to 2008 Dr. Silva coached all of Carolina teams and served as the faculty advisor for both the Carolina men's and women's teams.

Retiring from UNC - Chapel Hill in 2008, Dr. Silva transferred the coaching duties to former CTHC player and assistant coach Myles Bacon. Myles was joined by Johnny Massengale in 2011. Myles coached the men's team through 2019.

Mat Piec and Johnny Massengale assumed coaching responsibilities of the CTHC men in 2019, and in 2021 CTHC alumni Aaron Hamm joined the coaching staff of CTHC.

Paul Scruggs, Jordan Boyst, and Wade Sutton currently coach Carolina Blue. Wade Sutton has functioned as the operations coordinator for Carolina Blue and started coaching the women's team in 2002. He coordinates all aspects of the women's program.

The CTHC has benefited from outstanding student leadership. The current (2023-2024) CTHC President is Malachi Jowers. A listing of all the CTHC Presidents is provided below.

For Information on the CTHC, contact Dr. John M. Silva, Executive Director of the Carolina Team Handball Club at silva@live.unc.edu.