NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The New Year brings a new title for Tammy Metcalf-Filzen. The "interim" tag has been removed from her job description, and she has been named the full-time head coach of the Carleton College women's basketball program as announced by Athletic Director Gerald Young.
 
"I'm thrilled that Tammy will be back leading our women's basketball program on a permanent basis," said Young. "Her basketball knowledge, combined with her strong commitment to an 'academics first' philosophy, epitomizes what Division III athletics is all about."
 
Metcalf-Filzen, the winningest coach in program history, came out of retirement in July 2019 to serve as Carleton's interim head coach for the 2019-20 campaign following the resignation of then-head coach Cassie Kosiba.
 
"I am incredibly grateful to Dean of the College Beverly Nagel and Athletic Director Gerald Young for the opportunity to step back into the women's basketball head coaching job on a permanent basis," said Metcalf-Filzen. "When I arrived back on campus in July, I was warmly greeted with 'Welcome home.' Carleton College is home to me. There is no place I would rather be than right here, coaching and teaching at one of the finest academic institutions in the country.
 
"I also want to thank the players, who embraced the challenge of a coaching transition and have worked hard to learn a brand new system. They have done everything we have asked of them and more. We have a lot of work to do, but we are excited to be 'On Mission.'"
 
The Knights are off to a 4-6 start this year, already surpassing last season's win total. Metcalf-Filzen owns a current 256-154 overall career coaching ledger (.624 win percentage), including a 230-128 mark (.642) at Carleton.
 
Metcalf-Filzen originally retired from Carleton in 2010 due to family considerations. At that time, she had just concluded her 15th season as a collegiate head coach and 13th at Carleton. Nearly a decade later, and with her children grown, Metcalf-Filzen was ready to return to the collegiate game.
 
"It's like it was a long sabbatical," said Metcalf-Filzen. "Despite the success that I had earlier in my career, I know that I am a better coach now. Spending the last several years coaching at the high school level has helped me become a better teacher and communicator for our players."
 
It is hard to imagine Metcalf-Filzen becoming an even better coach, considering that under her guidance the Knights won three consecutive regular-season Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles from 2002-05, including the school's first outright crown in 2004-05. Carleton won five MIAC Playoff titles, including four consecutive crowns from 2001-04 and another in 2008, coinciding with the program's five NCAA Tournament appearances. Metcalf-Filzen was the first coach in MIAC history, regardless of sport, to capture four straight post-season conference tournament titles.
 
A three-time MIAC and region coach of the year, Metcalf-Filzen first came to Carleton in 1992 as an assistant and assumed head-coaching duties on an interim basis for the 1997-98 season before taking the position permanently, eventually establishing the Knights program as one of the elite in all of NCAA Division III.
 
Under her watch, Carleton was ranked in the nation's top 20 and averaged more than 20 wins over a nine-year span from 2000-09. Metcalf-Filzen was inducted into the Carleton 'C' Club Athletic Hall of Fame in June 2019.