When Tom Welsh took the job as Trinity Christian’s men’s and women’s volleyball coach in July, he had no idea what a wild rollercoaster ride his career would take.
Four months after the ink dried on his contract, the school announced it was closing after this school year.
But he won’t miss a beat as he recently was named coach for both sports at St. Francis in Joliet. He will take over an established women’s program and will have a blank canvas as he will start up the men’s program and plans to bring some Trolls players aboard.
“This has been a pretty quick turnaround for me,” Welsh said. “I know that some small colleges are having financial trouble. But I never thought that four months later, I would be searching for a new job. It was a shocker.”
Welsh has had an array of coaching experience, including two seasons at Morton College.
Without the benefit of recruiting, Welsh led the Trolls women to a 14-16 record, which included a 12-6 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
That included taking three of four sets in Elgin against Judson on Nov. 4, the day most students and staff found out the school was closing.
“All I was thinking about was, ‘How am I going to get these players focused?’’’ Welsh said. “We went out and fought hard and thank God we won. And from there on we just devoted the rest of our season to us as a program and the past alumni who have come through the program.”
The men’s team opened this week with a 4-14 mark.
There are no transfers to St. Francis yet, but there are nine underclassmen on the roster — including Shepard grad CJ Laflin, Chicago Christian grad Seth Summers and Richards grad Sam Cain — who could consider following Welsh to Joliet.
“It’s coming in and bringing in my guys from Trinity and using it as a launching pad for St. Francis,” Welsh said. “We will be building a program that we want to enjoy and cherish and love.
“It’s a rare occasion where we want to make it exactly how we want to make it.”
Hounds ready to roll
After a tumultuous offseason with several teams pulling out of Major League Rugby, there will be a 2026 season with just six clubs. The Chicago Hounds open at 3 p.m. April 4 on the road against Anthem Rugby Carolina.
The Hounds’ home opener is at 8 p.m. April 12 against California Legion at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. The team will host three more regular-season home games in 2026, and SeatGeek Stadium will be the home of the MLR Championship on June 21.
Last year, there were 11 teams in the league and the Hounds qualified for the eight-team playoffs. They beat Old Glory DC 27-16 before losing 21-20 in the semifinals to eventual champion New England.
Relay champs
Andrew’s 4×800-meter relay team of Jack Radtke, Caden Wolfe, Gabe Govea and Evan Misura ran a time of 7 minutes, 53.46 seconds to win the title at the second Illinois Indoor Championships on March 28 at Worrill Track and Field Center in Chicago.
St. Laurence’s Jacob Diaz, Matthew Williams, Isaiah Little and Joey Phillip won the 4×200 relay with a 1:27.95.