Western Carolina Director of Athletics Alex Gary today announced the hiring of Anne Marie Covar as the head coach of the Catamount women’s golf team. A former women’s golf student-athlete at Southern Conference foe Wofford, Covar moves to WCU after five seasons leading the women’s golf program at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C.
“We are very excited to have Anne Marie take over 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, Deputy Athletics Director and chair of the search committee. "After meeting with and getting to know Anne Marie during the search process, I know she will be successful. I’m enthusiastic about the future of the program under her leadership."
Covar is the eighth different head coach for the Catamount women’s golf program, replacing Courtney Gunter who took a position at NC State earlier this summer after guiding WCU through a successful six seasons.
“I want to thank Deputy Athletics Director Kyle Pifer and Director of Athletics Alex Gary for this opportunity to serve as the head women’s golf coach at Western Carolina University,” said Covar. “During the hiring process, it was clear that Catamount Athletics is a family and that is the atmosphere I wanted to continue working in. I can’t wait to get the season started with the team and continue the competitive culture of the WCU women’s golf program."
Just the third head coach in Presbyterian women’s golf history, Covar guided the Blue Hose to 26 top-10 team finishes during her five seasons at the helm including 14 top-10 finishes over the past two seasons. Last year, the Blue Hose strikers tallied seven finishes among the top 10 with a trio of top-five showings, twice landing on the podium. In 2022-23, Covar guided PC to seven top-10 performances including two among the top five including the program’s first team championship in 15 years in February 2023 at the Bright’s Creek Intercollegiate in Mill Spring, N.C.
Despite having the 2019-20 season cut short due to COVID, Presbyterian recorded four Top 10 finishes among its seven tournaments, adding three among the leaders in 2020-21 in a season shortened through the fall by COVID protocols.
Covar recruited a pair of golfers that received Big South All-Freshman team honors including Sarah Boteler in 2021-22 and Mariana Polakova in 2022-23. Presbyterian also collected the most Big South Freshman of the Week honors in the latter.
Presbyterian golfers combined for 14 total selections on the annual Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars team including a program-best five in 2023-24. Covar also had four appear on the Big South All-Academic Team at season’s end including Serina Combs (2021), Sanders Hinds (2022), Sarah Boteler (2023), and most recently sophomore Taylor Reaves (2024). Her squad also received the NCAA Public Recognition Award for High Academic Achievement back in 2019-20.
Covar translated three seasons at Erskine College into the Presbyterian head coaching position, beginning as an assistant coach for the Flying Fleet in 2016 before being elevated to the head coach position ahead of the 2018 season. During her tenure, the Fleet established and then broke school records for 18, 36, and 54-hole team scoring. In her second season, she helped coach Annia Werge to the individual 18-hole school records, as well as the team to the 2018 Coker Cobra Spring Women’s Invitational title.
In 2018-19, Covar guided Anna Parramore to a program-record individual 54-hole and a runner-up finish at the Conference Carolinas Championship. Erskine then went on to win the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) South Regional and finish runners-up at the NCCAA Nationals, where the team again set the 54-hole school record.
Covar is a 2014 graduate of Wofford College, earning her degree in accounting. During her four-year collegiate career, the Edgefield, S.C., product posted a pair of individual medalist honors and set the school’s 54-hole scoring record with a three-round total of 214, currently tied for the second-best in Wofford history. Covar was the SoCon Freshman of the Year and listed on the SoCon All-Freshman team in 2010-11, collecting four top 10 finishes including three podium placements highlighted by her first career win coming as a frosh. She also landed on the SoCon Academic Honor Roll three times as a collegian. She continues to rank among Wofford’s career Top 10 in scoring average (78.25) with her two event wins tying her for second in program history. Her 96 career rounds are likewise tied for second in school history.
Following her graduation, Covar continued her golf journey by teaching lessons before embarking on a two-year professional career from 2015-17. She spent a year on the Suncoast Tour and also competed in the LPGA Qualifying School. She is also Level I Certified from the Titleist Performance Institute.
Western Carolina returns three golfers from last year’s squad, paced by the leading returning scorer in senior Elizabeth Lohbauer, her classmate Kaitlyn Wingnean, and junior Sadler Miller. The roster also includes a trio of newcomers Annalee Caveney (Raleigh, N.C.), Ella Kozak (Yorktown, Saskatchewan, Canada), and Madison Lehr (Mechanicsville, Va.) Tentatively scheduled to open the 2024-25 season in late August, Covar and WCU will unleash a complete schedule in the coming days.
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