CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina has hired former star player Erin Matson — barely a month after she graduated — to take over its field hockey program after the retirement of 10-time NCAA champion Karen Shelton.
The school announced the move Tuesday, roughly two months after Shelton announced she would retire as the sport’s winningest coach.
The 22-year-old Matson was the star on four of Shelton’s NCAA championship teams, including last year in an unbeaten season while finishing as the career scoring leader in NCAA tournament play. She’s also the Atlantic Coast Conference’s career scoring leader and the only five-time league offensive player of the year.
Matson has been a member of the U.S. national team since she was 17.
