Arcadia Knights women’s hockey team coach Kelsey Koelzer made history in her coaching debut on Saturday, when she became the first Black woman to coach an NCAA hockey team.

Koelzer, who is 26 years old, was hired in September 2019 when Arcadia University announced their decision to launch men’s and women’s hockey programs, both of which began play in the NCAA this season.

Koelzer is also an active player with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association. She was selected as the first overall pick in the 2016 NWHL Draft by the Metropolitan Riveters, then becoming the first Black player to be selected with the No. 1 pick in any professional hockey league’s draft. She won the Isobel Cup with the Riveters in 2018 and was named the All-Star Game MVP that season as well.

The Knights, which compete at the Division III level of the NCAA, dropped both of their opening games over the weekend to Worchester State University.