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Covich Named to Hall of Fame
April 20, 2016 04:27 PM | Golf
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University golf coach Sean Covich will be inducted into the Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2016 on Tuesday, April 26, in Pearl, Mississippi.
Covich will be honored for his time at Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.
“Any award you receive as a coach is because of the players you were lucky enough to have,” Covich said. “This honor really has little to do with me, but everything to do with the players I coached. During my time at Meridian, I was blessed with many great young players who will forever be a part of my extended family. This is a direct reflection of their achievements while I just happened to be their coach.”
Tabbed to lead the Mountaineers in 2014, Covich is in the midst of guiding the squad through its first varsity season in three decades. WVU most recently finished as the runner-up at Penn State’s Rutherford Intercollegiate, with Alan Cooke tying for the individual runner-up spot. The team heads to its first ever Big 12 Golf Championships April 29-May 1.
From the Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame
Meridian Community College
2016 Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame
Sean Covich
Sean Covich made his mark at Meridian Community College as both a player and a coach in the Eagles’ golf program. He was a member of the Eagles’ golf team from 1998-2000, including the 1999 Region 23 championship squad, for which he was named “Most Dedicated Player.” After graduating from MCC, Covich went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi State University. As a young man of 26, Covich returned to his junior college alma mater as head golf coach in 2006 and led the Eagles to a third place finish in the NJCAA national tournament his first year. Four of Covich’s five teams at MCC finished in the Top 7 in the NJCAA national tournament, including his 2010 squad that took home national championship runners-up honors – the highest finish ever recorded by a Mississippi junior college team in Division I NJCAA golf history. His final Eagle team in 2011 was ranked No. 1 in the nation during the regular season in the NJCAA poll.
Covich coached Brandt Garon, the first Mississippi junior college golfer to win the NJCAA national medalist title in 2010. Before leaving MCC, Covich recruited T.J. Morgan and Jake Stirling, both of whom finished first at the NJCAA DI national championship, enabling MCC to win or share the national medalist title three out of four years during one remarkable stretch. During his tenure as Eagle golf coach, Covich’s teams set school records for most tournament victories in a single season (9), lowest team score (274) and lowest team score in relationship to par (-14).
Covich was named Coach of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches in 2007, as well as MACJC and Region 23 Coach of the Year. In 2011, he was voted Coach of the Year for District 4 by the Golf Coaches of America Association, and a semi-finalist for national Coach of the Year.
After departing MCC, Covich became the first full-time assistant golf coach at Mississippi State University. During his tenure at MSU, the Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA national tournament twice, and the university’s ranking moved from #125 to #27 in 2013, when the Bulldogs won four tournaments, a school record. MSU set several other all-time records with Covich as assistant coach, such that he gained noticed as one of the nation’s up-and-coming golf coaching talents and recruiters. In May 2014, Covich was named head golf coach at West Virginia University, where he was called upon to build the Mountaineers’ program after being inactive since 1982.
Covich has contributed to Mississippi golf for most of his life. As a prep standout, he led Lamar School to an unprecedented four consecutive state championships. Mentored by his father, Jerry Covich, one of Mississippi’s best-known club professionals, Sean served as director of the Mississippi Junior Golf Association at a time when membership grew to record numbers, positioning Covich to launch his collegiate coaching career.
Covich and his wife, Kate, are the proud parents of a son, John Keenan.
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