Erin Matson: the 23-year-old coach making field hockey history at UNC

Last year Erin Matson led the UNC Tar Heels to the NCAA field hockey title as a student-athlete. Now the 23-year-old has done it again as a coach who’s just barely older than her players

Loretta Hunt


North Carolina head coach Erin Matson is lifted up by her team after defeating the Northwestern Wildcats for the national championship at Karen Shelton Stadium last month in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Photograph: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos/Getty Images

Sleep eludes Erin Matson. It’s been three weeks since the University of North Carolina’s most decorated field hockey player-turned-head coach shepherded her players to an NCAA championship victory in her debut season; the 23-year-old is believed to be the youngest ever college coach to win a national title. Still, the interview requests haven’t stopped rolling in, even as Matson’s other coaching duties beckon her attention. Matson isn’t complaining, though.