CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina Director of Athletics Randy Eaton today announced the hiring of Sara Anne McGetrick as the head women’s golf coach. A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, McGetrick brings a wealth of passion and golf knowledge to the position, including collegiate coaching experience at Converse College.
McGetrick replaces former coach Mallory Hetzel, who took a similar position at Old Dominion in late August. According to available records, she is just the sixth different coach for the WCU women’s golf program all-time.
“We are very excited to welcome coach McGetrick to the Catamount family,” said Associate Athletics Director Gorham Bradley, chair of the search committee and a former men’s golf coach at WCU. “Her passion for student-athlete excellence and proven experience developing collegiate golfers aligned perfectly with our vision for the WCU golf program. Under her leadership, the future of Catamount women’s golf is very bright.”
McGetrick previously coached at Converse College in Spartanburg, building the Valkyries’ program from scratch. During her four-year stint, the program climbed to a No. 29 GolfStat ranking in its third year of existence, tallied team tournament titles at five events with eight individual medalists, and posted a third-place finish at the Conference Carolinas Championship in 2014.
She also has coaching experience from two high schools, first at the Valor Christian High School in Spartanburg from 2009-11, collecting Coach of the Year honors in 2011 after the second of consecutive league championships. McGetrick was also the head girls’ golf coach at the Oakbrook Preparatory School.
“I am honored and thrilled to have been chosen to lead the Western Carolina women’s golf team as the new head golf coach,” said McGetrick. “The minute I set foot on campus, I knew it was a perfect fit for me, and I can’t wait to start this new chapter of Catamount women’s golf.”
A 1985 graduate of fellow Southern Conference member Furman, she played under legendary coach Mic Potter, a 1994 National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame inductee and the current head coach at the University of Alabama. While playing for the Paladins, McGetrick won a pair of individual medalist honors and helped her team qualify for the postseason championship tournament in all-four seasons, advancing to the NCAA Championships three times and once to the AIAW Championships in 1982. She was a part of Furman teams that posted four top-13 finishes at the national level, including three showings of ninth place or better.
McGetrick turned pro and played on the LPGA tour from 1986 through 1992, tallying a pair of podium finishes during her career, including a runner-up finish at the 1989 Hawaiian Ladies Open and a third-place showing at the 1987 Denver LPGA event.
McGetrick inherits a seven-player roster that includes four returners and three newcomers, including two transfers and one true freshman.
Western Carolina opens its 2016 season this weekend at the Golfweek Program Challenge, which features a unique tournament format that sees the Catamount men’s and women’s squads compete independently but also produce a combined score.