SPORTS & RECREATION
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | JUNE 19, 2022
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Chelsea Carroll breaking barriers in men’s sports BY ZACH ALVIRA Progress Sports Editor
C
helsea Carroll was surprised when South Mountain Community College Athletic Director Todd Eastin called her and asked if she would become the interim coach of the men’s golf program two weeks before the start of the school year in August. She was already the head women’s coach and was juggling that along with her job as an instructor at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale. But the men needed someone after former coach Aaron Puetz took over the golf program at University of Texas, El Paso. She saw it as an opportunity to relegate her duties and focus only on South Mountain. So, she accepted. She broke down barriers in men’s sports, as she became the �irst woman head coach to lead a men’s team to a national championship. “I think for the team coming in, they struggled with not having the coach they were expecting,” Carroll said. “I told them before the round that if they gave 100 percent and realized they are �ighting for each other then we had something special in front of us. “That was such a moment when we ended up winning the national championship. All the things that happened throughout the year and what seemed impossible getting this team to work together, it �inally happened. It was really amazing.” Carroll faced many challenges head on when she took over the men’s program. Some golfers didn’t take her seriously and would show up late to workouts without fearing consequences. Others became disengaged when they realized the coach that recruited them to South Mountain was no longer there. The men’s team had 14 players to start the season in the fall. By the time they
South Mountain Community College golf coach Chelsea Carroll, “right,” broke through major barriers in men’s sports this season when she took on the role of interim men’s head golf coach at South Mountain along with her title as head women’s coach. (Courtesy SMCC Athletics)
sion for the program. They showed up to every early morning workout, fundraiser and team activity. “In the beginning it was tough gaining their respect on simple things like showing up on time,” Carroll said. “That was a big challenge. It took a consequence of if they were late, they weren’t going to the tournament. The men’s team started with 14 golfers but ended with seven as I had two guys that many left throughout the season. But the seven came together along showed up late and with Carroll to win the national championship. With that, Carroll be- I stuck to my guns, came the first woman to lead a men’s team to a title and was named and they didn’t go to the 2022 NJCAA National Coach of theYear. (Courtesy SMCC Athletics) the tournament. “That was a wakeup call and it �inally were preparing for the national champiclicked for them. We ended up having a onship, just seven remained. But those really good group of guys that wanted to seven, Carroll said, bought into her vi-
be there.” Carroll was initially hired two years ago to help rebuild the women’s program. At the time, she had just two golfers. Four were needed to �ield a team. She recruited a soccer player and student at South Mountain, two individuals who hadn’t ever played golf in a competitive setting. She taught them the game and with that, interest grew from other students and high school athletes grew. This past season the women’s team had 11 golfers. Her ability to grow the program helped her earn respect from some of the men, most notably the seven that remained. Ethan Klose, a freshman golfer who previously played for Arcadia High School, recognized Carroll’s dedication to the program despite her being placed in the position just two weeks before the start of the new school year. Along with placing sixth overall at the national championship, Klose was named an All-American. Along with her national championship, Carroll was named the 2022 NJCAA National Coach of the Year. For now, she still has an interim tag next to her name as the men’s head coach. Though she hopes she can have that removed and become the permanent coach moving forward of both programs. She knows that won’t be an easy task, but she believes she can continue building the men’s program into a national powerhouse while breaking down barriers for women. She also hopes to have the women’s program follow suit. “All of this work this whole year, it’s something where I don’t have to say anything, and people recognize it. The players recognize how special it is,” Carroll said. “You do get the question marks, I think, with the gender of being a woman in this role. But having those things to back it up, that’s a huge relief.”
