Jamie Ortega has poured in 313 points in her North Carolina career. She’s helped lead the high-powered Tar Heels to two Final Four appearances in her two full seasons at Chapel Hill.

Ortega and teammate Katie Hoeg have North Carolina primed to compete for the third national championship in program history and its first since 2016 — a position in which the Tar Heels may not have found themselves had COVID-19 not wiped out the 2020 season.

Regardless of the how this season ends, Ortega wants another year in the Carolina Blue. The North Carolina star told Sheehan Stanwick Burch on the latest episode of “The Stick Drop” that she plans to use the extra year of eligibility granted to spring student-athletes last yer to return for the 2021 season.

“I just can’t leave yet,” she told Stanwick Burch. “Last year, we got cheated out of a year. Even depending on how this year goes, I still want to be able to be here for next year, hopefully with some more normalcy. I don’t think I’m ready yet for the real world or ready to leave my teammates and friends.”

Lacrosse fans will welcome a fifth year for one of the most dominant players in recent college lacrosse history. Ortega could challenge both Kylie Ohlmiller’s Division I points record (498) and Courtney Murphy’s Division I goals record (341). She currently sits at 236 goals and 77 assists for her North Carolina career.

As for Hoeg, her future lies in dentistry — she will enter dental school after finishing up her North Carolina career in May.

Ortega and Hoeg joined Stanwick Burch for Episode 3 of the new podcast series to talk about their relationship, taking fans behind-the-scenes of the North Carolina locker room.

Head to Apple and Spotify to learn more about the Tar Heel duo and their background in the game of lacrosse.