FREDERICK, Md. - Hood College Director of Athletics Dr. Susan Kolb announced that Thomas Chatfield, head coach of the women's golf team, will take over the Blazers' men's program and will guide both programs going forward. Chad Dickman will step aside as men's coach to focus on his duties as men's basketball head coach and assistant director of athletics/facilities.
"Chad has done a great job in nine seasons improving the men's golf program," said Kolb. "The success from this past year will continue with Thomas taking over the program. Thomas has been a volunteer with the men's program for several years, in addition to his role as the women's head coach, and he understands the competition in the MAC as well as the recruiting landscape."
Chatfield took over the women's program in January 2019. This past season was the best in program history. Hood finished fifth at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships with a school record score for 36-holes. The team and individual records for 18-holes and the individual 36-hole record were also set during the season. The Blazers obliterated the previous team scoring average by over 60 strokes and five of the top seven season averages in Hood's history took place in 2021-22.
Chatfield takes over a men's golf team that was fifth at the conference championships in 2022 under Dickman's tutelage. Four of the Blazers' top five players are expected to return, as are four other members of the 2021-22 team.
"This is a wonderful opportunity with a great group of young men," Chatfield said. "I have been around the program for the past few years and seen the continued growth that Coach Dickman has been able to achieve. I was fortunate to join the men on a spring break trip to Pinehurst and was able to build relationships that I believe will make for an easy transition into this position. I look forward to expanding upon Coach Dickman's development and hope to continue building upon the solid foundation."
The move closes a nine-year run as the men's head coach for Dickman. The top eight team season scoring averages all occurred on his watch. Eight of the best 10 career averages at Hood all played on his squads, including the top nine individual season averages. After Hood finished 10th at the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Championships in his first season, the Blazers finished outside the top five just twice over the next eight seasons. In 2017-18, Andy Baker was the MAC Commonwealth Co-Champion.
"Coaching our golf team at Hood has been a great experience and I'm extremely proud of the progress we've made as a program," said Dickman. "We've had outstanding young men here that represented the team and the school with total class. It's definitely bittersweet to step away from such a great group of guys, especially with the team playing at the highest level in school history. But, while coaching basketball, my other duties in the athletic department, and a son born this year, I was just being stretched too thin--and the team deserves someone who can dedicate more time to the program. This group will be in great hands with
Thomas Chatfield and
Sean Stanistreet moving forward, and I'm confident they'll continue to build on the significant strides we made as a program."
Dickman will now focus on his role as men's basketball coach. Last season, he guided the Blazers to a 20-win season, the MAC Commonwealth crown and a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships.
In addition to his duties as Hood's golf coach, Chatfield is also the associate athletic trainer for the Blazers, a post he has held since 2014.
