UNC takes home NFHCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year honors

BROCKPORT, N.Y. — Karen Shelton, Grant Fulton, and Robbert Schenk from the University of North Carolina have been named the NFHCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year for the third-consecutive year.

The UNC coaching staff led their team to a third-consecutive and ninth-overall Division I NCAA National Championship. The Tar Heels won the game in dramatic fashion, defeating the University of Michigan in overtime at Karen Shelton Stadium.

Earlier in the season, Shelton was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year for the 11th time and the Tar Heels secured their 23rd ACC Tournament Championship. The UNC squad finished the season 19-1 overall and 9-1 in conference play, taking the top spot in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll each week this season.

Shelton earned her 701st career win on November 6, 2020, making her the all-time winningest coach in NCAA field hockey history.

This is UNC’s third-consecutive and fifth-overall NFHCA National Coaching Staff of the Year honor. In May, UNC was named the 2020 NFHCA Division I Co-South Region Coaching Staff of the Year — their fourth-consecutive and tenth overall regional honor.

The 2020 NFHCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year was announced live on the NFHCA Awards Show sponsored by AstroTurf® on June 15, 2021.

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to champion, strengthen, and celebrate field hockey coaches and the game. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.