Karen Shelton - Recognized as one of the finest field hockey coaches in the world, Karen Shelton
played on three national championship field hockey teams and one national championship lacrosse team during her undergraduate days at West Chester State College (now West Chester University). Karen was named field hockey’s National Player of the Year three times, a feat that has not been equaled since. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Physical Education from West Chester in 1979 and following that up as Assistant Field Hockey Coach at Franklin and Marshall College in 1980, Karen has been the Head Field Hockey Coach at the University of North Carolina for the past 32 years. During her tenure at UNC, Shelton has piloted her teams to six NCAA Championship crowns, nine NCAA runner-up finishes, 17 Atlantic Coast Conference titles and 30 winning seasons. Heading into her 33rd year with the Tar Heels, Karen owns a career record of 550-140-9. Shelton has been named as National Coach of the Year on five occasions. Additionally, she was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1977-1984 and a starter on the bronze-medal winning United States Olympic Team at the Los Angeles Summer Games in 1984. Other honors for Karen include being named U.S. Field Hockey’s Athlete of the Year in 1983, and inductions in the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989 as a player and into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008 for her accomplishments as a coach. During the course of her outstanding coaching career, she has mentored countless All-Americans, has sent numerous Carolina players to U.S. National teams and has coached five National Players of the Year. In 2010, she was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, one of Coach Shelton’s current players, rising junior Loren Shealy, was named Sports Illustrated’s Inaugural Female College Athlete of the Year in May of 2013.