Some people are born winners and Chelsea Palmer was born a winner.
One of just two First Team All-America selections in program history, she came to UWF in the fall of 2012 having won two national championships as a junior college player. UWF head women's soccer coach
Joe Bartlinski had someone in Palmer who could help the program get to the pinnacle of the sport in the Division 2 ranks.
She and her teammates were cruising along at 11-0 in 2012 when a non-conference loss on a cool Monday after Homecoming jolted the team into a harsh sense of reality.
"When we lost that game, it was a bump in the road that let all of us know we needed to push harder and not take a session or game for granted," she said. "After that, we lifted each other up and finished the season in December as national champions!"
What UWF did over the next seven weeks that culminated with the celebration in Evans, Georgia was dominate the remainder of the season, outscoring their opponents 39-4 over the final 13 games.
Palmer was a huge part of that run as she was named both the National Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Performer of the NCAA Tournament.
She ended her 2-year career as an Argo second in school history with 35 assists and 10th with 91 points, while scoring 21 goals. Her 19 assists in 2012 are second in the single-season chart and her 16 in 2013 are tied for fifth. She was also named the 2013 Gulf South Conference Player of the Year.
Palmer has used her psychology degree from UWF on a daily basis with a coaching career that has spanned time at the four-year college, junior college and currently club levels.
"It has allowed me to find an understanding of who these student-athletes are. They are a person first and then they are a player. I've had to be their friend and mentor, helping them through their lives away from home, while also making sure they give their all and play a part in a unit. There's no I in team."
She hasn't forgotten the lessons she learned while at UWF and how they have formed her instructional style.
"Being a student-athlete forces you to multitask every day during college," she said. "In life, you have a constant battle between work and your life outside of work. How you handle that will alow you to have a good balance to maintain your peace and mental health.
"I love coming back to UWF because I instantly feel at home and a sense of gratification from all of the hard work that is constantly poured into the University. UWF is full of faculty and staff who are full of grit and determination to create the best atmosphere for their students, families and alumni. GoArgos!"
