Chelsea Groves is the girlfriend of American golfer Alex Smalley. She is an American sports media professional best known for her work with Duke Athletics. She currently serves as the Director of Social Media for Duke University’s athletic department in Durham, North Carolina.
Her role places her at the center of digital storytelling for one of America’s most recognized college sports programs. Groves has built her career through sports communications, digital strategy, content planning, and social media management. In 2026, she also gained wider public attention because of her relationship with Alex.
| Net Worth: | – |
|---|---|
| Real Name: | Chelsea Groves |
| Birth Date: | 1990s |
| Age (as of 2026): | 20s |
| Hometown: | Walkerton, Indiana, USA |
| Height: | – |
| Parents: | – |
| Boyfriend: | Alex Smalley |
Early Life
Chelsea Groves’ exact birthdate has not been publicly confirmed, but based on her 2020 graduation from Butler University, she is believed to be in her late 20s as of 2026. Unlike many public-facing sports personalities, Groves has not built her profile around personal publicity.
Family & Education
Chelsea Groves has not publicly shared detailed information about her parents, siblings, or family background. No verified public records or official profiles currently confirm the names of her family members. She appears to keep her personal family life away from media attention.
This private approach matches her overall public image. Groves works in a field connected to athletes, coaches, and university branding, yet she does not often place her own family details in the spotlight. Her known public story focuses more on education, career growth, and sports media work.
Chelsea Groves attended Butler University, where she studied sports media. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and also completed a minor in human communication and organizational leadership. Her academic path directly supported her later career in athletics communication and digital media.
Butler University gave Groves a strong foundation in sports storytelling, media production, communication strategy, and leadership. Those skills became important as she moved into college athletics, where digital teams must cover games, manage brands, and engage fans quickly.
Career
Chelsea Groves began building her professional career in athletics communications before joining Duke University. She worked at Stephen F. Austin State University, where she served as assistant director of strategic communications. In that role, she handled statistics, updated the athletics website, supported media requests, and worked as an on-air host for the department.
Groves later became director of digital and social media at Stephen F. Austin. That position gave her broader responsibility over daily social media management, content calendars, and supervision of student workers and graduate assistants. Her work there helped strengthen her experience in both leadership and creative strategy.
In 2022, Groves joined Duke Athletics as part of the Creative Services team. She later served as associate director for social media, where she created and executed content for Duke softball and women’s soccer accounts. Her work involved Instagram, X, and Facebook content aligned with team and university goals.
Chelsea Groves also helped create Duke Athletics’ Creative Services student worker team. She oversaw its daily operations and helped organize young content creators within the department. That experience showed her ability to manage both people and digital projects.
By 2026, she held the title of director of social media for Duke Athletics. Her responsibilities include managing daily operations for Duke Athletics’ social media platforms, overseeing Creative Services team members, and managing the men’s golf and women’s golf accounts. Her role makes her an important part of Duke’s modern sports branding.
Personal Life
Chelsea Groves keeps her personal life fairly private, but she became more publicly known in 2026 because of her relationship with PGA Tour golfer Alex Smalley. Smalley is a Duke University graduate and former Duke men’s golf standout, which gives the couple a shared connection to the university.
Reports in May 2026 described Groves as Smalley’s girlfriend and noted that the couple keeps a low profile. Their exact meeting story has not been publicly confirmed. However, their Duke connection remains a clear part of their public narrative.
Groves appears to enjoy sports, media work, and live athletic environments. Her public profile shows her professional involvement in interviews, game coverage, and sports content creation. She has built a lifestyle closely connected to athletics, travel, and digital storytelling.
Social Media
Chelsea Groves is publicly known on Instagram under the handle @chelseamgroves. Her profile identifies her as director of social media for Duke Athletics and notes her Butler University background. Her Instagram presence reflects both personal moments and her work in the sports world.
No widely verified public X, Facebook, or TikTok account is strongly associated with her professional identity as of 2026. Because she works in social media professionally, much of her public digital footprint also appears through Duke Athletics platforms rather than personal branding.
Chelsea Groves’ Net Worth
Chelsea Groves’ exact net worth has not been officially confirmed. No reliable public source has reported a verified financial figure for her assets, salary, investments, or private earnings. Because of that, any net worth number should be viewed as an estimate rather than a confirmed fact.
Based on her known career as a university athletics social media director, her estimated net worth is likely in the modest professional range, possibly under $500,000. This estimate is based only on her public career path and does not include private assets, savings, or investments.
Her main known income source is her role with Duke Athletics. She may also gain professional value through sports media experience, digital strategy work, event coverage, and creative leadership. There is no verified public evidence of major endorsements, business ventures, or commercial sponsorships connected to her name.
