Central Christian College Of The Bible Women's Basketball

Welch has served as a professor of Christian Counseling at Central Christian since the start of the 2014-15 school year. He replaces Leann Dahlstein at the helm of the women's program. Dahlstein resigned on Aug. 24 to accept a position as interim head coach at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla. "Aaron will do an outstanding job of fostering the relationships within our women's basketball program," Defreitas said. "We are fortunate that someone of his caliber and experience was available to coach from within our own faculty and staff. I'm excited to add his leadership to a group of women that have already proven themselves to be very successful." Welch will be making his debut as a basketball coach, but brings 20 years of coaching experience to the sideline as a former baseball head and assistant coach from youth through college levels. He was a three-year captain as a student-athlete on the baseball team at Cincinnati Christian College, then began his coaching career the following season as an assistant with the Eagles. Joining Welch on the Saints sideline as an assistant will be his wife, Michelle, who played for two seasons at the University of Central Florida, an NCAA Division I program and then-member of the Trans-American Athletic Conference. During Michelle's second season at UCF, the Knights made a surprise run to win the TAAC Tournament and earned the program its first appearance at the NCAA Tournament. The Saints are coming off an impressive run of their own. They made their first-ever trip to the NCCAA Division II national tournament in 2015, advancing all the way to the title game and finishing the season with a program-record 20-wins. The CCCB women went undefeated in Midwest Christian College Conference play for the second time in school history, won their first MCCC Tournament championship, captured the school's first NCCAA Region Tournament title, and earned the MCCC Sportsmanship Award. "Michelle and I decided to accept the challenge of coaching this group of women because we absolutely believe in them both on and off the court," Welch said. "I watched them play last season and was so impressed by their work ethic, team spirit, and high character. Those are the values we try to build our programs around, so we felt it was a great fit. We honestly believe the ladies on this team are of the highest caliber and we're excited to have the opportunity to invest in their lives." In addition to his teaching duties at Central Christian, Welch also serves as the Dean of Men. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies from Cincinnati Christian College and holds Master of Arts degrees in both Pastoral Counseling and Clinical Counseling from Cincinnati Christian College. Aaron and Michelle have three children, Eddie, 19, Joshua, 11, and Emmalee, 8. Central Christian College of the Bible and Athletic Director Jack Defreitas are pleased to announce the hiring of Aaron Welch as the new women's basketball head coach of the Saints. Welch has served as a professor of Christian Counseling at Central Christian since the start of the 2014-15 school year. He replaces Leann Dahlstein at the helm of the women's program. Dahlstein resigned on Aug. 24 to accept a position as interim head coach at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla. "Aaron will do an outstanding job of fostering the relationships within our women's basketball program," Defreitas said. "We are fortunate that someone of his caliber and experience was available to coach from within our own faculty and staff. I'm excited to add his leadership to a group of women that have already proven themselves to be very successful." Welch will be making his debut as a basketball coach, but brings 20 years of coaching experience to the sideline as a former baseball head and assistant coach from youth through college levels. He was a three-year captain as a student-athlete on the baseball team at Cincinnati Christian College, then began his coaching career the following season as an assistant with the Eagles. Joining Welch on the Saints sideline as an assistant will be his wife, Michelle, who played for two seasons at the University of Central Florida, an NCAA Division I program and then-member of the Trans-American Athletic Conference. During Michelle's second season at UCF, the Knights made a surprise run to win the TAAC Tournament and earned the program its first appearance at the NCAA Tournament. The Saints are coming off an impressive run of their own. They made their first-ever trip to the NCCAA Division II national tournament in 2015, advancing all the way to the title game and finishing the season with a program-record 20-wins. The CCCB women went undefeated in Midwest Christian College Conference play for the second time in school history, won their first MCCC Tournament championship, captured the school's first NCCAA Region Tournament title, and earned the MCCC Sportsmanship Award. "Michelle and I decided to accept the challenge of coaching this group of women because we absolutely believe in them both on and off the court," Welch said. "I watched them play last season and was so impressed by their work ethic, team spirit, and high character. Those are the values we try to build our programs around, so we felt it was a great fit. We honestly believe the ladies on this team are of the highest caliber and we're excited to have the opportunity to invest in their lives." In addition to his teaching duties at Central Christian, Welch also serves as the Dean of Men. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies from Cincinnati Christian College and holds Master of Arts degrees in both Pastoral Counseling and Clinical Counseling from Cincinnati Christian College. Aaron and Michelle have three children, Eddie, 19, Joshua, 11, and Emmalee, 8.