West Virginia University Athletics

A nationally-recognized program builder and relentless recruiter who specializes in player development, Sean Covich has engineered one of college golf’s top stories nationally – restarting the West Virginia University men’s golf program from scratch in 2014 and leading it to the national championships in record time.
 
After guiding the Mountaineers for the NCAA Championships during the 2023-24 season, Covich was named the 2024 Big 12 Conference Golf Coach of the Year and tabbed a finalist for the 2024 Dave Williams Award presented by Golf Pride Grips, given annually to the nation’s top coach.
 
Covich was selected to be WVU’s 12th men’s golf coach on May 22, 2014, as West Virginia reintroduced men’s golf as a varsity sport following a 31-year hiatus. Covich’s program centers around player growth and development, maximizing each player’s full potential on and off the course.
 
He has developed all-conference players and All-Americans, while multiple players have gone on to play professionally on the PGA & Korn Ferry Tours, including Chad Ramey (PGA Tour), Mark Goetz (Korn Ferry Tour) and Etienne Papineau (Korn Ferry Tour). Covich has signed numerous state junior players of the year, No. 1-ranked junior college players, as well as players from over 10 different countries from across the globe during his college coaching career.
 
West Virginia’s 2024 NCAA Championships appearance was its second in program history (first since 1947) after finishing tied for third place as a No. 10 seed at the Rancho Santa Fe Regional. WVU won two tournaments (Red Bandanna Invitational and Mountaineer Invitational) and posted its highest Big 12 Conference finish (5th out of 14 teams), while carding nine top-10 finishes for the season.

West Virginia racked up a program-best 97 victories on the year including wins over fourth-ranked Arizona State, 15^th-ranked Washington, 14^th-ranked Texas Tech, and several Top 50-ranked teams including Stanford, Houston, SMU and BYU, to solidify the greatest season in program history.
 
Max Green became the third Mountaineer in school history to be selected to Division I All-Midwest Region Team, joining Mark Goetz (2021) and Matthew Sharpstene (2019), to add to the long list of accomplished players under Covich’s watch.

The Mountaineers matched their highest Big 12 finish in 2022-23 with the team shooting 281 in the second round, the lowest round in WVU’s Big 12 Championship history. In addition, WVU tied No. 12 Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Match Play Championship.

In 2024-25, WVU Kaleb Wilson became the second Mountaineer golfer to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Regional, while the Mountaineers posted a Top 5 finish at the National Golf Invitational. In addition, WVU won the inaugural Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational and had three golfers win tournaments during the season: Wilson and freshmen Ryan Leach and Nick Turowski. Wilson and Todd Duncan became the fourth and fifth Mountaineer golfers in school history to be selected to the Division I All-Midwest Region Team.

In 2021-22, West Virginia won the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate with a 28-under-par tally, the lowest 54-hole, under-par score in school history. The 271 in the final round at Vegas tied the lowest round team total in school history and the 17-under-par tally in the final round was the lowest round in school history in relation to par. Mark Goetz won the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate and Mountaineer Invitational for his second and third collegiate tournament wins, the most in school history. Max Green was co-champion of the East Carolina Intercollegiate, becoming the third different Mountaineer to win a collegiate tournament.

In 2020-21 despite the abbreviated season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Goetz became WVU’s first-ever individual qualifier for the NCAA Regional Championship. He finished second, just missing a spot in the NCAA Golf Championship. After the season, he became the first WVU golfer to earn All-America honors. Goetz then was the stroke-play medalist out of 312 golfers at the 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club, shooting 8-under-par.
 
The Mountaineers finished the 2020-21 season on a strong note. For the third year in a row, West Virginia won the Mountaineer Invitational with Goetz being the only golfer in the field to shoot under par (-12). WVU’s four-day total at the Big 12 Championship tied WVU’s best 72-hole total at the championship, including a 283 in the third round, one shot off its best round in a Big 12 event. Also in the spring, WVU shot a 10-under-par 278 at the Seminole Intercollegiate, the eighth-best round in school history and posted the lowest team score in the three years of competing at the Gators Invitational.
 
Building upon momentum from the team’s first NCAA appearance since 1947 the previous season, Covich’s Mountaineers earned the program’s first-ever top-25 ranking in 2019-20, coming in at No. 25 in the first Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll of the season.
 
West Virginia put a tally in the win column after topping the leaderboard at the Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club. Covich led the Mountaineers to its second victory of the season in a head-to-head matchup against Connecticut to open the spring portion of the season.
 
2019-20 proved to be another record-breaking year for West Virginia, as the team combined to break four different records throughout the season. Etienne Papineau earned the first record of the season with a program-best 54-hole total of 203 at the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational. Logan Perkins also earned a new 18-hole record low score at the Florida Gators Invitational with a 62 to finish second overall in the tournament.
 
As a team, the Mountaineers recorded a new team 54-hole low round and total versus par at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic with a 273-273-280=826 for 26-under par. This bested the previous records of 835 and 22-under. The 2019-20 season was cut short in March due to COVID-19.
 
With the help of freshman Kurtis Grant, the 2018-19 season started off in a big way, as Grant posted a 206 in the Old Town Club Collegiate, tying the program record on his way to an 11th-place finish. Soon after, senior Max Sear became the first Mountaineer in more than 35 years to earn medalist honors when he finished atop the team leaderboard at The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club. His first-place finish led the Mountaineers to the team title for the first time ever at their home event.
 
The inaugural Big 12 Match Play Championship was up next for WVU. The Mountaineers put up a tough battle and came away with a win over Iowa State and a tie with Kansas. The Tavistock Collegiate Invitational, which West Virginia joined UCF in hosting, and the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic wrapped up fall play as the Mountaineers finished with a program-best No. 37 ranking via Golfstat.
 
Spring trips down south included a third-place finish at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee, Florida, and a fourth-place finish at the Irish Creek Collegiate in Kannapolis, North Carolina. In an annual tradition, the Mountaineers wrapped up play at rival Penn State’s Rutherford Intercollegiate, taking home third place.
 
At the end of April, West Virginia welcomed the league’s nine other programs to The Old White TPC in White Sulphur Springs as the Mountaineers played host to the 2019 Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship at The Greenbrier Resort. Despite a soggy start, sophomore Matthew Sharpstene led the way for WVU with a 13th-place finish at the historic resort.
 
History was then made on May 1, 2019. The team gathered at the WVU Coliseum at 9 p.m. to await its fate as the top-50 national ranking all but guaranteed the Mountaineers a spot in an NCAA Regional. The team didn’t have to wait long, as “West Virginia” showed up in the first regional announced. The No. 8-seeded Mountaineers would join Big 12 foes Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky. It marked the program’s first NCAA appearance since 1947.
 
One week shy of the fifth anniversary of his hiring, Covich led West Virginia to its first NCAA appearance in 72 seasons. Sharpstene, Sear, Etienne Papineau, Logan Perkins and Philipp Matlari represented West Virginia in Louisville, along with alternate Mark Goetz. The Mountaineers found themselves in contention for a national championship bid early on, as they finished the first day in fifth place after Perkins led the way at one-under-par. The team slipped to eighth on the second day but rallied in the third round. After bouncing in and out of the top five throughout the day, WVU finished just two strokes out of contention, taking sixth place at the regional.
 
Though the season ended, the historical repercussions did not. Sharpstene became the first Mountaineer on record to earn Division I PING Midwest All-Region team accolades in May. Three more Mountaineers were honored in July as Sear, Papineau and Matlari were named to the GCAA Scholar All-America Teams for their play on the course and work in the classroom. Additionally, West Virginia earned team academic honors for the third straight season.
 
Tasked with rebuilding a program from scratch, Covich put together a team that saw success in its return to the links.
 
The 2017-18 season ended with the program’s first-ever top-100 ranking for the Mountaineers, as they finished the season at No. 90 out of 300 NCAA Division I Programs.
 
Covich’s Mountaineers started the season off with a bang, taking the team title at the Janney VCU Shootout to open the year. They added another team win in the spring, finishing first at the Martin Downs Collegiate in February. WVU registered team runner-up finishes at The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational, the Furman Intercollegiate and the Rutherford Intercollegiate. The squad capped the season with a ninth-place finish at the 2018 Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship – a program best – and its second straight GCAA All-Academic Team award.
 
Individually, the Mountaineers excelled on the course and in the classroom. Max Sear set a program record with his 73.03 scoring average on the season and became the program’s second-ever GCAA Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar. He was joined by five teammates in earning Academic All-Big 12 honors. Freshman Matthew Sharpstene became the program’s first-ever Big 12 Golfer of the Month in November and went on to set a program low round after carding eight birdies to shoot a 64 at Martin Downs in February.
 
In just their second season of varsity competition in 2016-17, the Mountaineers posted their first tournament win in more than 30 years when they claimed the title at the East Carolina Intercollegiate in April of 2017. Vienna native Alan Cooke set a program record with a 206 at the Seminole Intercollegiate in March before tying teammate Max Sear with a record low of 66. WVU set records for lowest team round (277) and 54-hole total (849) at the Seminole Intercollegiate as well.
 
The team made strides in the classroom as well, earning GCAA All-Academic Team accolades after posting a team GPA of 3.0 or above. Chris Williams became the program’s first GCAA All-Academic Scholar by maintaining a GPA of 3.2 or above and a stroke average of 76 or less.  Williams and Cooke repeated as members of the Big 12 All-Academic Team as well.
 
Cooke became the first Mountaineer since 1982 to tee off on Sept. 6, 2015, at the Tiger Turning Stone Invitational in Verona, New York. The squad finished 10th at the historic tournament and built momentum from there. Senior Easton Renwick recorded the team’s first top-10 finish at the Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational on Sept. 15, 2015 and would go on to add four more top-25 finishes on the season.
 
After team posting a new-era low of 283 in two rounds at the Joe Feaganes Invite in the fall, WVU capped the regular season with a runner-up finish at rival Penn State’s Rutherford Intercollegiate in April. The squad shot 284-284-285=853 for its lowest 54-hole total of the season. Cooke set a program record by shooting a 207 for six under par and a runner-up individual finish.
 
Tristan Nicholls joined Cooke, Sear, Renwick and Williams in representing West Virginia at the team’s first ever Big 12 Golf Championship at Whispering Pines Country Club in Trinity Texas April 29-May 1. Though the Mountaineers finished 10th at the event, Sear finished two spots shy of all-conference honors with a 12th-place finish.
 
Prior to the team’s trip to Texas, Covich was inducted into the Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame for his time at Meridian Community College.
 
 A native of Meridian, Miss., Covich came to WVU from Mississippi State, where he served as the assistant men’s golf coach the last three seasons. He previously served as the head men’s golf coach at Meridian Community College for five seasons.
 
At Mississippi State, Covich became the school’s first full-time men’s golf assistant coach in 2011. He helped the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014 while improving the school’s national ranking from No. 125 in 2011 to a school-record No. 27 in 2013. The Bulldogs won a school-record four tournament titles in 2012-13, then added two more tournament wins in 2013-14 for the most wins (six) in a two-year span in school history.
 
The Bulldogs set school records for best team 36-hole score (-25), best team 54 hole score (-38) and season records for most team birdies (497), most team eagles (14) and most team scores of even-par or better (14). In addition, he helped the Bulldogs to the second-lowest team round in school history (274) and the second-lowest team score in relation to par (-14). Covich coached Chad Ramey to All-SEC honors, the first player in school history to be named all-conference three consecutive seasons.
 
At Meridian Community College, Covich successfully transitioned MCC from a NJCAA Division II program to a NJCAA Division I national power. He led MCC to a NJCAA National Championship Runner-Up finish in just their second season at the Division I level and positioned the Eagles as the No. 1 ranked JUCO team during the 2010-11 season.
 
At MCC, Covich guided his squad to 18 tournament championships. He produced 15 senior college players, six all-tournament team members at the national championship and guided seven All-Americans. During a back-to-back-to-back NJCAA postseason run, Covich’s 2010 squad finished runner-up at the NJCAA National Championships. He also coached the school’s first individual national champion in 2010. The Eagles set multiple school records during the Covich era, including most tournament wins in a season (9), lowest team score (274), and lowest team score in relation to par (-14).
 
Covich earned Coach of the Year honors four times during his span at MCC. In 2007, Covich was awarded with Coach of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, the National Junior College Association of America (NJCAA) Region 23, and the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC). In 2011, after winning the Golf Coaches Association of America’s District IV Coach of the Year Award, he was named a semifinalist for the Golf Coaches Association of America National Coach of the Year.
 
Known as an outstanding recruiter, Covich recruited and coached Brandt Garon, a two-time All-American at MCC. The Louisiana native won the Arnold Palmer Award and the NJCAA National Championship in 2010 while under Covich's guidance. Garon then added the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award in 2011. Another Covich-product was 2012 NJCAA National Champion Jake Stirling. The Aussie was also a two-time All-American and was recruited to MCC by Covich. T.J. Morgan became the third player recruited by Covich to MCC who finished first at the NJCAA National Championship (t1 in 2013).
 
At Mississippi State, Covich reeled in the No. 1 ranked junior college golfer in the nation twice, as Joe Sakulpolphaisan (Darton State College) signed with the Bulldogs in 2012 and Tim Walker (Central Alabama Community College) signed with MSU in 2014.
 
Covich lettered at Meridian Community College from 1998-2000 and was a member of the 1999 NJCAA Region 23 Championship team. He received the Most Dedicated award during the 1998-1999 season. Covich lettered in varsity golf for Lamar High starting in sixth grade. Covich led the Raiders to an unprecedented four consecutive MPSA Overall State Championships in 1995-1998. He received the Sportsmanship Award in his junior and senior seasons.
 
Covich completed his education at Mississippi State, earning his bachelor’s degree in sports communications in 2004 and a master’s degree in sports administration in 2006.
 
In 2005, Covich was the Tour Director of the Mississippi Junior Golf Association, during that tenure the MJGA experienced record membership and participation. Along with his guidance of the MJGA, Covich conducted 13 junior golf events, including the Mississippi Junior Championship. In addition to those duties, he assisted in operating several Mississippi Golf Association state championships such as the State Amateur, Senior Amateur and State Four-Ball.
 
He began his golf career under his father, PGA Club Professional Jerry Covich, at Briarwood Country Club in Meridian, Miss. Covich also worked for longtime PGA Club Professional and Robbie Webb Junior Golf Award winner, Jimmy Gamblin, at Northwood Country Club. Working for his father and Gamblin, Covich led junior clinics and camps at Briarwood and Northwood.
 
Covich has been in a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America since 2006. He was honored with the GCAA Service Award in December of 2015. Covich was selected to serve on the GCAA’s All America Scholar Committee in 2016.
 
In 2005, Covich became Titleist Performance Institute Certified Level I and is currently working towards TPI Golf 2 certification.
 
Covich and his wife, Kate, have one child, John Keenan. The family resides in Morgantown.

Career Highlights