University of North Carolina Athletics
Karen Shelton
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
50 YEARS—Taking Nothing for Granted: Karen Shelton’s Success
October 6, 2021 | Field Hockey
By Dave Lohse
UNC Associate Athletic Communications Director, Retired
Even after nine NCAA titles, 23 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, 12 straight final four appearances and four decades at the helm of Carolina's celebrated field hockey program, head coach Karen Shelton does not take any of her program's success for granted.
Indeed, as Carolina celebrates 50 years of women's athletics, she knows her work is far from done.
"It's phenomenal to look at where our UNC women's programs – not just field hockey, but all of our Tar Heel teams – have come from and where they are now, in terms of the level of success we've had and the graduates who have gone on to do amazing things," Shelton said. "I think all of us are incredibly grateful but also really motivated to continually strive to keep our standards high."
One of the original seven women's teams elevated to varsity status in the Department of Health and Physical Education for the 1971-72 school year, Carolina field hockey has produced a legacy of success second to none. When field hockey transitioned into the Department of Athletics and varsity letters were awarded to women for the first time, UNC's commitment to women's sports began to soar.
Shelton is the engineer behind Carolina field hockey's success. The fourth coach in program history, she took over for Dolly Hunter, who placed the program on solid footing before leaving coaching after the 1980 season.
"In the spring and summer of 1981, I recall talking to Dolly, to then women's athletic director Frances Hogan and to athletic director John Swofford about my chance to get this job and the opportunity it presented for me," says Shelton. "I made two trips to Chapel Hill at that time and eventually was here and ready to go by the fall of 1981."
When Shelton arrived, she was still playing on the U.S. women's field hockey national team, which she continued to do through 1984, when she helped the U.S. to a bronze medal – the team's best-ever finish – at the Los Angeles Summer Games. Her talents and energy were seemingly limitless and were key in elevating the program to a national level and, eventually, a championship level.
"Even as a young, 18-year-old student-athlete, what struck me about Karen was her drive and first-class approach, and that began during the recruiting process, when she would send me handwritten notes on Tar Heel note cards," said Louise Hines, a member of Shelton's first incoming class who still has some of those personal notes. "I was quickly sold on Karen being the person who could build Carolina into one of the nation's elite programs, and when I arrived on campus in the fall of 1982, her messaging remained consistent and efficacious.
"She impressed upon us the notion of growing with the program and being a part of something bigger than our individual selves. That resonated with me and my teammates. By the time I was a sophomore, we won the first-ever ACC field hockey championship. As history shows, the program just kept building from there, and Karen's drive for the program's success year after year never waned."
Four decades later, Shelton's numbers are astonishing. She has led Carolina to NCAA championships in five different decades (1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009, 2018, 2019, 2020), matching the only other Carolina program to capture NCAA titles in five different decades: men's basketball.
When Shelton arrived in 1981, the field hockey team was playing its games on a grass field near Ehringhaus residence hall. "We were anxious to get to a turf field because the sport was being played less and less on grass," Shelton said. "There was a turf field located between Fetzer Field and Boshamer Stadium and, fortunately, by our second year we were playing there."
On that turf, Navy Field, the program dedicated Francis E. Henry Stadium in 1999. In 2018, the program moved to a state-of-the-art facility named in honor of its leader and positioned with a nod to the past: Karen Shelton Stadium is located on the exact spot of the program's former home at Ehringhaus Field.
The new stadium has played host already to incredible moments and thrilling championships, with the Tar Heels winning both ACC and NCAA championships on their home turf during the 2020 season.
The latest home-field ACC title was the eighth the Tar Heels have won in Chapel Hill and the 23rd overall, more than twice as many as the next team, former league member Maryland with 10. Of the ACC's 38 tournaments, no other current ACC member has won more than four.
But the opportunity to win an ACC field hockey title was not always the case, and Shelton had a hand in changing that.
"I was among the people who pushed hard for an ACC championship in field hockey, and by 1983 we had one," says Shelton. "That was another element that helped advance our sport so quickly. We earned our first NCAA bid that year as well."
In fact, since that first bid in 1983, UNC has played in every NCAA field hockey tournament except one. The last three NCAA crowns belong to Carolina. The Tar Heels have advanced to 12 straight final fours and 25 overall. On 20 of those occasions, UNC has advanced to the championship game.
"To come out to practice every day and be surrounded by people who are so successful, and to play for a coach who has had the success she's had throughout the years, it really makes you want to work even harder so you can live up to those expectations," said Cassie Sumfest, a senior on the 2021 squad. "We want to continue to maintain the legacy."
Shelton admits to some frustration with Carolina's 9-11 record in NCAA Championship games. That only highlights just how her constant pursuit of perfection and the commitment to excellence has defined the success of her program.
Recruiting outstanding talent has not been an issue for Shelton, with many of her players reaching great heights in the sport, and beyond.
"My philosophy has always been to recruit good kids," she says. "If you do that, other things will follow in time. We've always looked for players with a good attitude who work hard and have fun with the game, and in many cases aspire to be on the National Team one day. And selling the University of North Carolina is always a pleasure and a privilege – it's a great academic institution with great athletic tradition in all sports, and it's a fun place to be. It's got a bit of everything and that's always been attractive to recruits."
Hines was Shelton's first blue-chip recruit and went on to become the first of many Tar Heels to play for the U.S. National Team. Maryellen Falcone played on conference championship teams all four years from 1984-87. Mary Sentementes holds the distinction of being Carolina's initial first-team All-America, earning honors in both 1983 and 1984.
Shelton's first NCAA title team in 1989 was led by Leslie Lyness, who went on to have a career as a neurosurgeon.
From 1995-97, UNC won three titles in a row with a roster that included Cindy Werley, Kate Barber, Nancy Pelligreen, Joy Driscoll and Jana Withrow.
A decade later, Carolina won titles in both 2007 and 2009. Rachel Dawson was the 2007 Honda Award winner, an honor also claimed by Lyness and Werley. Katelyn Falgowski was a member of both the '07 and '09 teams and left Chapel Hill as the program's all-time assists leader. Kelsey Kolojechick, a freshman on the 2009 team, is the only Tar Heel player to be named a first-team All-America in each of the four years of her Carolina career.
Flash forward to now, and Carolina has continued to dominate, winning three straight titles, culminating in an overtime victory in Karen Shelton Stadium for the 2020 national championship. From 2018 until 2020, the team lost only one game.
Honda Award winner Ashley Hoffman led the 2018 squad, and Erin Matson, currently breaking records across the Carolina and NCAA record books, powered Carolina to all three championships and has won Honda Awards in 2019 and 2020.
Each of Shelton's nine championships can be viewed as markers for the program she built with confidence from the day she arrived on campus. She built the program painstakingly, and clinched her first NCAA championship in 1989 in a triple overtime penalty stroke 2-1 win over Old Dominion in Springfield, Mass.
"Old Dominion set the early standard in our sport, so every time we were able to achieve a milestone against them it was something we celebrated," Shelton said. "To beat ODU in thrilling fashion to win that first title for UNC was something that none of us will ever forget.
"It has always been very important to me to be sure we represent the University of North Carolina well, and make sure our players appreciate the fact we're playing for more than just ourselves. Everything we do reflects on the players who helped build program and, in a larger sense, on our University and all the people who support us."
Things we take for granted now were not necessarily the case back then.
One thing Carolina should never take for granted, however, is the utter greatness of its field hockey program.
And certainly not its primary architect for four decades, Karen Shelton.
UNC Associate Athletic Communications Director, Retired
Even after nine NCAA titles, 23 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, 12 straight final four appearances and four decades at the helm of Carolina's celebrated field hockey program, head coach Karen Shelton does not take any of her program's success for granted.
Indeed, as Carolina celebrates 50 years of women's athletics, she knows her work is far from done.
"It's phenomenal to look at where our UNC women's programs – not just field hockey, but all of our Tar Heel teams – have come from and where they are now, in terms of the level of success we've had and the graduates who have gone on to do amazing things," Shelton said. "I think all of us are incredibly grateful but also really motivated to continually strive to keep our standards high."
One of the original seven women's teams elevated to varsity status in the Department of Health and Physical Education for the 1971-72 school year, Carolina field hockey has produced a legacy of success second to none. When field hockey transitioned into the Department of Athletics and varsity letters were awarded to women for the first time, UNC's commitment to women's sports began to soar.
Shelton is the engineer behind Carolina field hockey's success. The fourth coach in program history, she took over for Dolly Hunter, who placed the program on solid footing before leaving coaching after the 1980 season.
"In the spring and summer of 1981, I recall talking to Dolly, to then women's athletic director Frances Hogan and to athletic director John Swofford about my chance to get this job and the opportunity it presented for me," says Shelton. "I made two trips to Chapel Hill at that time and eventually was here and ready to go by the fall of 1981."
When Shelton arrived, she was still playing on the U.S. women's field hockey national team, which she continued to do through 1984, when she helped the U.S. to a bronze medal – the team's best-ever finish – at the Los Angeles Summer Games. Her talents and energy were seemingly limitless and were key in elevating the program to a national level and, eventually, a championship level.
"Even as a young, 18-year-old student-athlete, what struck me about Karen was her drive and first-class approach, and that began during the recruiting process, when she would send me handwritten notes on Tar Heel note cards," said Louise Hines, a member of Shelton's first incoming class who still has some of those personal notes. "I was quickly sold on Karen being the person who could build Carolina into one of the nation's elite programs, and when I arrived on campus in the fall of 1982, her messaging remained consistent and efficacious.
"She impressed upon us the notion of growing with the program and being a part of something bigger than our individual selves. That resonated with me and my teammates. By the time I was a sophomore, we won the first-ever ACC field hockey championship. As history shows, the program just kept building from there, and Karen's drive for the program's success year after year never waned."
Four decades later, Shelton's numbers are astonishing. She has led Carolina to NCAA championships in five different decades (1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009, 2018, 2019, 2020), matching the only other Carolina program to capture NCAA titles in five different decades: men's basketball.
When Shelton arrived in 1981, the field hockey team was playing its games on a grass field near Ehringhaus residence hall. "We were anxious to get to a turf field because the sport was being played less and less on grass," Shelton said. "There was a turf field located between Fetzer Field and Boshamer Stadium and, fortunately, by our second year we were playing there."
On that turf, Navy Field, the program dedicated Francis E. Henry Stadium in 1999. In 2018, the program moved to a state-of-the-art facility named in honor of its leader and positioned with a nod to the past: Karen Shelton Stadium is located on the exact spot of the program's former home at Ehringhaus Field.
The new stadium has played host already to incredible moments and thrilling championships, with the Tar Heels winning both ACC and NCAA championships on their home turf during the 2020 season.
The latest home-field ACC title was the eighth the Tar Heels have won in Chapel Hill and the 23rd overall, more than twice as many as the next team, former league member Maryland with 10. Of the ACC's 38 tournaments, no other current ACC member has won more than four.
But the opportunity to win an ACC field hockey title was not always the case, and Shelton had a hand in changing that.
"I was among the people who pushed hard for an ACC championship in field hockey, and by 1983 we had one," says Shelton. "That was another element that helped advance our sport so quickly. We earned our first NCAA bid that year as well."
In fact, since that first bid in 1983, UNC has played in every NCAA field hockey tournament except one. The last three NCAA crowns belong to Carolina. The Tar Heels have advanced to 12 straight final fours and 25 overall. On 20 of those occasions, UNC has advanced to the championship game.
"To come out to practice every day and be surrounded by people who are so successful, and to play for a coach who has had the success she's had throughout the years, it really makes you want to work even harder so you can live up to those expectations," said Cassie Sumfest, a senior on the 2021 squad. "We want to continue to maintain the legacy."
Shelton admits to some frustration with Carolina's 9-11 record in NCAA Championship games. That only highlights just how her constant pursuit of perfection and the commitment to excellence has defined the success of her program.
Recruiting outstanding talent has not been an issue for Shelton, with many of her players reaching great heights in the sport, and beyond.
"My philosophy has always been to recruit good kids," she says. "If you do that, other things will follow in time. We've always looked for players with a good attitude who work hard and have fun with the game, and in many cases aspire to be on the National Team one day. And selling the University of North Carolina is always a pleasure and a privilege – it's a great academic institution with great athletic tradition in all sports, and it's a fun place to be. It's got a bit of everything and that's always been attractive to recruits."
Hines was Shelton's first blue-chip recruit and went on to become the first of many Tar Heels to play for the U.S. National Team. Maryellen Falcone played on conference championship teams all four years from 1984-87. Mary Sentementes holds the distinction of being Carolina's initial first-team All-America, earning honors in both 1983 and 1984.
Shelton's first NCAA title team in 1989 was led by Leslie Lyness, who went on to have a career as a neurosurgeon.
From 1995-97, UNC won three titles in a row with a roster that included Cindy Werley, Kate Barber, Nancy Pelligreen, Joy Driscoll and Jana Withrow.
A decade later, Carolina won titles in both 2007 and 2009. Rachel Dawson was the 2007 Honda Award winner, an honor also claimed by Lyness and Werley. Katelyn Falgowski was a member of both the '07 and '09 teams and left Chapel Hill as the program's all-time assists leader. Kelsey Kolojechick, a freshman on the 2009 team, is the only Tar Heel player to be named a first-team All-America in each of the four years of her Carolina career.
Flash forward to now, and Carolina has continued to dominate, winning three straight titles, culminating in an overtime victory in Karen Shelton Stadium for the 2020 national championship. From 2018 until 2020, the team lost only one game.
Honda Award winner Ashley Hoffman led the 2018 squad, and Erin Matson, currently breaking records across the Carolina and NCAA record books, powered Carolina to all three championships and has won Honda Awards in 2019 and 2020.
Each of Shelton's nine championships can be viewed as markers for the program she built with confidence from the day she arrived on campus. She built the program painstakingly, and clinched her first NCAA championship in 1989 in a triple overtime penalty stroke 2-1 win over Old Dominion in Springfield, Mass.
"Old Dominion set the early standard in our sport, so every time we were able to achieve a milestone against them it was something we celebrated," Shelton said. "To beat ODU in thrilling fashion to win that first title for UNC was something that none of us will ever forget.
"It has always been very important to me to be sure we represent the University of North Carolina well, and make sure our players appreciate the fact we're playing for more than just ourselves. Everything we do reflects on the players who helped build program and, in a larger sense, on our University and all the people who support us."
Things we take for granted now were not necessarily the case back then.
One thing Carolina should never take for granted, however, is the utter greatness of its field hockey program.
And certainly not its primary architect for four decades, Karen Shelton.
Players Mentioned
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/ Field Hockey
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