The Ohio women’s basketball team has hired former Division I player and Division III Coach, Chelsea Welch as their new assistant coach. Head Coach Bob Boldon states, “Chelsea has recently joined our staff. Throughout the interview process she kept separating herself from the rest of the candidates with her enthusiasm to be at Ohio University. She is a wonderful person who is willing to work hard and we expect her to be a great recruiter as her references continually suggested. We are thrilled to have her in Athens.”
Welch has spent her last year at Albright College in Pennsylvania after 2 years at St. Lawrence University in New York. During Welch’s time at Albright, she coached the MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year as well as the MAC Commonwealth 1st Team Player. Welch also assisted a player in accomplishing 1,000 points and rebounds, while heading the scouting reports and recruiting for the program.
At St. Lawrence, Welch was part of the Liberty League’s Coaching Staff of the Year in the 2019-2020 season. Welch helped coach the team into a winning season, taking them from an 8-17 overall record in 2018-19 to 18-9 overall and third place in the Liberty League in the 2019-2020 season. The team had also won their first playoff game in the Liberty League in four years. While there Welch coached first-team and second-team All-Conference players and led preseason and postseason conditioning programs.
Before her coaching career, Welch played at the University of Pittsburgh, transferring after two seasons to become a well-decorated Division I student-athlete for Wright State University women’s basketball team from 2015-2018. Welch started every game in her final two seasons of NCAA eligibility and was the leading scorer in the Horizon League for both these seasons. Welch was named first-team All-Conference player twice and earned Horizon League Player of the Year in the 2017-18 season. She was selected a captain in her final two seasons, and led the team to the conference championship in 2018. Welch was beyond a student-athlete at Wright State as she also worked as a Facility Assistant, Women’s Basketball Camp Coach, Athletic Marketing and Communications Intern, and member of SAAC.
After her collegiate years, Welch went on to compete at the highest professional level overseas in Portugal where she was named the Import Player of the Year. Welch also led the conference in scoring, holding the record for the most points scored in a single game during the 2018-19 season.
“I am so excited to be returning to my home state, Ohio, to join the staff at Ohio University, Welch Said. “I’m very thankful for this opportunity to be a part of a competitive program and learn from a great coach who has experienced a lot of success like Coach Boldon. This is an amazing opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work!”
