North Carolina State University Athletics
Courtney Gunter Promoted to Associate Head Coach
7/24/2026 10:23:00 AM | Women's Golf
RALEIGH – Courtney Gunter of the NC State women's golf team has been promoted to associate head coach, as announced by head coach Darby Sligh. Gunter has been an assistant coach for the program for the past two seasons.
"As a head coach, the systems you build are only as good as the people executing them," said Sligh. "Courtney exemplifies our program pillars of courage, connection and consistency. She has been a head coach before and has sat in 'the chair.' That is a powerful asset for our program because she knows what it takes and helps us get there. Her steady and organized presence is a huge part of our daily culture. She balances our squad in only a way that she can. I couldn't be more excited to coach beside her as we continue building something that makes us proud."
Gunter has helped the NC State women's golf program reach new heights over the past two seasons, coming off back-to-back NCAA Regional top six finishes and the program's highest Scoreboard Powered by Clippd ranking at No. 33. In 2025-26, the program registered a program-best seven top five showings, including fifth place at the ACC Championship stroke play. This helped the Wolfpack earn a spot in the match play portion of the tournament for the first time in school history. NC State's 12-under 852 at the ACC Championship at Porters Neck Country Club became a program-best 54-hole score at an ACC postseason event. The Wolfpack also carded a 275 in the first round of the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational, an 18-hole team record.
Gunter has played a key role in the development of a young roster, which consistently featured a lineup of four underclassmen in 2025-26. Marie Eline Madsen was named a unanimous All-American and All-ACC selection for two straight seasons and Ellie Hildreth became the fourth freshman in program history to earn individual medalist honors.
Under Gunter's assistance, NC State won tournaments in back-to-back seasons with the City of Oaks Collegiate in 2026 and the Daniel Island Invitational in 2025. The Daniel Island Invitational win marked the first tournament victory for NC State since 2017.
Gunter joined the Wolfpack after serving as the head coach of Western Carolina women's golf program from 2018-24. Under Gunter's guidance for six seasons, the Catamount program leveled up, highlighted by a return to the postseason in the spring of 2023. WCU won seven tournament titles during her tenure, including a program-best four team wins during the 2022-23 season.
Following a stellar 2022-23 campaign, Gunter was named the 2023 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. Three Catamount players - Brie Mapanao (73.63), Elizabeth Lohbauer (73.70) and Madison Isaacson (74.37) - broke the program's single-season scoring record, as well as earned All-Southern Conference Team honors. Mapanao was also named the league's Freshman of the Year. That squad posted five top six 54-hole scores in program history and received an at-large berth into the inaugural Golfweek National Golf Invitational, which was the first postseason bid for the program since 2007.
Gunter came to Western Carolina after two seasons at Coastal Carolina from 2016-18. She helped lead the Chanticleers to the first Sun Belt Conference title in program history in 2018. Four of her golfers were tabbed to the All-Sun Belt Team, including three First Team selections, and Marlene Krolboll Hansen was named the Sun Belt Golfer of the Year.
Before her time in Conway, Gunter was an assistant coach at East Carolina for three seasons, while earning a master's degree in sport management. She helped lead the Pirates to an NCAA Regional berth, each of the three seasons she was at ECU.
Gunter played collegiately at North Carolina (2009-13) for a program that won five team titles, as well as recorded 20 top five finishes, appeared in four NCAA Regionals and advanced to two NCAA Championships.
During her sophomore year playing for the Tar Heels, UNC won the ACC title and tied for eighth at the NCAA Championship. Gunter earned National Golf Coaches Association All-America and All-ACC Team honors in 2010.
Gunter earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and exercise and sport science from UNC in May 2013.
