Cullowhee, NC – Western Carolina Athletic Director Alex Gary today announced the hiring of Anne Marie Covar as head coach of the Catamount women’s golf team. Covar, a former student-athlete in women’s golf at Southern Conference rival Wofford, comes to WCU after five seasons as the director of the women’s golf program at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.
“We are thrilled to have Anne Marie join our women’s golf program as head coach. She is a great addition to Western Carolina University and Catamount Nation. Her experience and energy will allow her to make an immediate impact with our student-athletes,” said Kyle Pifer, associate athletic director and search committee chair. “After meeting and getting to know Anne Marie during the search process, I know she will be successful. I am excited about the future of the program under her leadership.”
Covar is the eighth different head coach of the Catamount women’s golf program, replacing Courtney Gunter, who accepted a position at NC State earlier this summer after leading WCU for six successful seasons.
“I would like to thank Assistant Athletic Director Kyle Pifer and Athletic Director Alex Gary for this opportunity to serve as the head women’s golf coach at Western Carolina University,” Covar said. “It was clear during the recruiting process that Catamount Athletics is a family and that is the atmosphere I wanted to continue working in. I can’t wait to start the season with the team and continue the competitive culture of the WCU women’s golf program.”
Covar is just the third head coach in Presbyterian women’s golf history and led the Blue Hose to 26 top-10 team finishes during her five seasons at the helm, including 14 top-10 finishes in the last two seasons. Last year, the Blue Hose forwards earned seven top-10 finishes, including three top-5 finishes, and finished on the podium twice. In the 2022-23 season, Covar led PC to seven top-10 performances, including two top-5 finishes, including the program’s first team championship in 15 years in February 2023 at the Bright’s Creek Intercollegiate in Mill Spring, NC
Despite having to shorten the 2019-20 season due to COVID, Presbyterian earned four top-10 finishes in its seven tournaments and was able to post three more top-ranked finishes in the 2020-21 season, which was shortened to the fall due to COVID protocols.
Covar recruited two golfers who earned Big South All-Freshman Team honors, including Sarah Boteler in the 2021-22 season and Mariana Polakova in the 2022-23 season. Presbyterian also earned the most Big South Freshman of the Week honors in the latter season.
In total, Presbyterian University golfers have been selected to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) annual All-American Scholars team 14 times, including five of the program’s top players in the 2023-24 season. Covar also had four players named to the Big South All-Academic Team at the end of the season, including Serina Combs (2021), Sanders Hinds (2022), Sarah Boteler (2023) and most recently sophomore Taylor Reaves (2024). Her team also received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for high academic achievement in 2019-20.
Covar spent three seasons at Erskine College in the Presbyterian College head coach position. She began as an assistant coach for the Flying Fleet in 2016 before being promoted to head coach prior to the 2018 season. During her tenure, the Fleet set and then broke school records for team scoring at 18, 36 and 54 holes. In her second season, she helped coach Annia Werge set the individual 18-hole school records as well as the team to the 2018 Coker Cobra Spring Women’s Invitational title.
In the 2018-19 season, Covar led Anna Parramore to a program-record 54-hole individual match and a second-place finish at the Conference Carolinas Championship. Erskine then won the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Regional and finished second at the NCCAA Nationals, where the team again set the school record 54-hole match.
Covar graduated from Wofford College in 2014 with a degree in accounting. During her four-year collegiate career, the Edgefield, SC native has won two individual medals and set the school’s 54-hole record with a three-round total of 214 strokes, currently the second-best mark in Wofford history. Covar was SoCon Freshman of the Year and named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in 2010-11. She earned four top-10 finishes, including three podium finishes, with her first career win as a freshman being particularly notable. As a sophomore, she also made the SoCon Academic Honor Roll three times. She continues to be ranked in Wofford’s top 10 in scoring average (78.25), and her two event wins rank her second in program history. Her 96 career rounds also rank her second in school history.
After graduating, Covar continued her golf career by teaching lessons before embarking on a two-year professional career from 2015 to 2017. She spent a year on the Suncoast Tour and also attended LPGA Qualifying School. She is also Titleist Performance Institute Level I certified.
Western Carolina returns three golfers from last year, led by the top returning senior scorer. Elisabeth Lohbauerher classmate Kaitlyn Wingneanand Juniors Sadler Miller. The squad also includes a trio of newcomers Annalee Caveney (Raleigh, NC), Ella Kozak (Yorktown, Saskatchewan, Canada) and Madison Lehr (Mechanicsville, Virginia) The 2024-25 season is tentatively scheduled to open in late August. Covar and WCU will release a full schedule in the coming days.
Stay up to date with all things Catamount women’s golf and WCU Athletics through social media channels Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts) and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountWGolf).
