McElhaney named Director of Compliance, Petz adds SWA duties
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman Vice President for Athletics Matt Pope has announced the promotion of Camden McElhaney to be the athletic department’s third-ever Director of Compliance, while Director of Sports Medicine Kelsey Petz becomes the third woman to take up the mantle of SWA.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman Vice President for Athletics Matt Pope has announced the promotion of Camden McElhaney to be the athletic department's third-ever Director of Compliance, while Director of Sports Medicine Kelsey Petz becomes the third woman to take up the mantle of SWA.
McElhaney, who Chuck Benson hired as an assistant basketball coach this summer, steps into the realm of athletic administration after Associate AD Suzanne Strudwick accepted a position as Cleveland State's athletic director. McElhaney will handle the compliance portion of her position, Petz will handle the Senior Women's Administrator portion.
McElhaney spent the summer between his junior and senior seasons as an intern in compliance under Strudwick.
"With the unexpected departure of Suzanne Strudwick in this very important position, we are thrilled to see Camden McElhaney begin this new chapter in his career in becoming our new Director of NCAA Compliance," Pope said. "Because of his recent internship within our Compliance office and being our newest assistant men's basketball coach, we noted in him a strong sense of leadership, accountability, and care for our student-athletes. This was a slam dunk, pun intended! Carrying his personal core values into this vital role, we have no doubt that he will express well the Christian mission of Carson-Newman University into his duties within the athletics department."
A consummate glue guy, McElhaney appeared in 94 games with six career starts for C-N. A career 55.3 percent shooter, he had 154 career points and 230 career rebounds. In his senior season, he produced his first career double-digit rebounding game against Emory & Henry.
McElhaney is a three-time member of the NABC Honors Court and a CSC Academic All-District selection. He tallied a career-best 10 points as a CoVID-sophomore at Catawba.
McElhaney was a product of Sevier County High School where he helped SCHS to back-to-back district titles, a region title in 2018-19 and an Elite Eight appearance at the state tournament the same year. He was a 1,000-point career scorer for the Smoky Bears.
He wrapped his Carson-Newman career a five-time Eagle Scholar and Dean's List member.
Petz has worked her way up the ranks within Carson-Newman's athletic training staff, starting as a graduate assistant in 2019, before being hired as a full-time athletic trainer. Now, she leads the department.
She served as the primary athletic trainer for volleyball, beach volleyball, and men's and women's golf at Carson-Newman as an Assistant Athletic Trainer from 2021 until the fall of 2023. Petz made her way to Mossy Creek in 2019 as a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the volleyball teams. She received her Master's in Business Administration degree with a focus in Sports Management for C-N.
"We are very happy to celebrate Kelsey Petz as she takes on the additional duty of Senior Woman Administrator while continuing to lead as our Director of Sports Medicine," Pope said. "Her continued dedication and commitment to our student-athletes' well-being, her developing knowledge of athletics, and her willingness to foster professional growth make her a great fit for this important role. This opportunity recognizes her leadership and ensures her impact will be felt more broadly at Carson-Newman and across our athletic communities."
Petz came to Carson-Newman from Plymouth State. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and received honors from the athletic training degree program for her academic success. Petz played for the Panthers' DIII women's ice hockey team all four years of her undergraduate degree. She was a recipient of the Kerkor Kassabian Eastern Athletic Training Association Scholarship Award
She served the football, track and women's soccer, women's lacrosse and men's basketball programs at Plymouth State.
Petz is a member of the the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), the Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association (SEATA), and the Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society (TATS). She is certified by the BOC and licensed to practice athletic training in Tennessee. Petz is also certified in CPR/AED and First Aid for the Professional Rescuer.
