Women's Coaching Staff

Darby Sligh
Head Coach

Darby Sligh was announced as head coach of the women's golf program on January 10, 2023, following Page Marsh's retirement announcement. Sligh earned the head coaching role after spending the five previous seasons on the staff as assistant coach (2018-22) and associate head coach (2022-24). The 2025-26 season marks her third year as the head coach, eighth season overall at NC State.

In Sligh’s second season at the helm, first full year as the head coach, she led the Pack to a No. 44 final ranking in the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd Rankings, as well as the program’s 20th NCAA Regional appearance. The team earned its first win since 2017 with a program-record tying 17-under 847 (280-282-285) at the Daniel Island Invitational. Sligh also led the Pack to five top five finishes, the most since 2013-14, and top 10 showings in nine of its 11 tournaments.

Under Sligh’s leadership, freshman Marie Eline Madsen bursted onto the collegiate scene. She was named to the All-ACC Women’s Golf Team, the first time a Pack freshman earned a spot on the team since 2012 (Augusta James), and just the second time in school history. Madsen broke the single-season scoring average record (71.23) and won two tournaments, including the NCAA Charlottesville Regional. Her regional win was the first in school history and she punched her ticket to the NCAA Championship, marking the first time the Pack had sent an individual to nationals since 2008 and sixth time an individual or the team was represented at the event. Lauren Olivares Leon continued to make some noise in her senior year, tying the school record for individual wins with three after becoming a co-medalist at the Landfall Tradition. Olivares Leon also became the first NC State golfer to earn an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, being one of 72 amateurs in the world to receive the coveted invite.

After taking over the helm midway through the 2023-24 season, Sligh led her team to four top 10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Briar’s Creek Invitational and sixth at the ACC Championship, which marked the Pack’s best finish at a conference championship since 2017. Olivares Leon was tabbed an All-ACC Women’s Golf Team selection, the first for NC State since 2017, while the junior and Isabela Amezcua qualified for the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional.

Sligh was a part of a historic 2022-23 campaign that culminated with the team’s first NCAA Championship berth since 2015. The team secured its best regional finish (second place) in program history on its home course, setting a postseason program record with a team score of 282 in the first round of regional action. The squad also tied its highest ACC Championship finish since 2017. During the regular season, Sligh helped guide NC State to a pair of 18-hole program records (278, -10) and a 54-hole tournament record (847, -17) at the ICON Invitational and was a part of coaching Olivares Leon to a win at the Briar’s Creek Invitational, the first individual victory for a member of the Pack in five years.

After helping the program earn its 17th NCAA Regional bid in the last 18 seasons in her first year as an assistant coach (2018-19), Sligh guided a squad that consisted of seven underclassmen to four top 10 team finishes and five top 20 individual finishes before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the 2019-20 campaign. After the 2021 spring campaign where Monika Vicario earned an individual at-large berth to the NCAA Columbus Regional, Sligh helped lead the Wolfpack back to postseason play with a team at-large berth in 2021-22 for its 18th time in the last 21 seasons.

Sligh was named the recipient of the 2020 Division I Golf Pride Grips WGCA Assistant Coach of the Year when she stepped up for the program during a difficult time. At the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Colorado on Sept. 25, 2019, head coach Page Marsh had to leave the final round of the tournament when her husband, George Tarantini (former head men's soccer coach at NC State), unexpectedly passed away. Sligh stepped in and coached the team by herself to ninth place and the second lowest score of the semester. She seamlessly took over all head coaching and operational duties for the final two tournaments of the fall, and the Pack closed out the semester with another ninth place showing at the Landfall Tradition.

During her stint with the Wolfpack as a head coach and assistant, the program has earned a combined 35 top 10 team tournament finishes and 86 top 20 individual finishes.

Prior to her time in Raleigh, Sligh served as the head coach at Illinois State for 11 seasons (2007-18). Sligh demonstrated the ability to produce championship-caliber success. While at Illinois State, she led the Redbirds to five Missouri Valley Conference championships, along with five automatic NCAA Regional berths and four-consecutive MVC Coach of the Year awards (2008-11).

Sligh managed to produce success on the course and in the classroom, as her teams consistently turned in the best GPA among the Illinois State athletics department and one of the highest among the NCAA. During her tenure as head coach, she saw 23 WGCA All-American Scholars, 18 All-MVC selections, nine MVC All-Scholar Athlete choices, five individual conference champions, one MVC Golfer of the Year and one MVC Rookie of the Year.

Prior to Illinois State, Sligh was the head coach at Newberry College for two seasons. In her two years at the helm, she was able to produce a 2007 South Atlantic Conference championship, win league coach of the year honors (2007) and have six players named to the All-SAC team.

Sligh played at Alabama from 2002-05 and was the team’s co-captain all four years. She had nine top 10 finishes, including two wins. She had an impressive list of collegiate honors and athletic achievements with the Crimson Tide. She was named to the All-SEC Second Team following the 2003-04 season, and from 2002 to 2004, Sligh was an All-SEC Academic honoree. In 2004, Sligh was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Sligh also earned a degree in sport psychology from Illinois State and has Level 2 certification from the Titleist Performance Institute.

Courtney Gunter
Assistant Coach

Courtney Gunter joined the NC State women’s golf program as an assistant coach in June 2024 prior to the 2024-25 season. She is going into her second season with the program in 2025-26.

In her first season with the Wolfpack, NC State earned five top five finishes, the most since 2013-14, and nine top 10 showings in its 11 tournaments. NC State also won its first tournament since 2017 with a victory at the Daniel Island Invitational. The Pack had an all-conference honoree in Marie Eline Madsen, who won two tournaments, including the NCAA Charlottesville Regional to advance to the NCAA Championship. The Pack capped off the season as a team at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional for the program’s 20th NCAA Regional appearance.

Gunter joined the Wolfpack after serving as the head coach of the women’s golf program at Western Carolina from 2018-24. Under Gunter’s guidance for six seasons, the Catamount program reached new heights, highlighted by a return to the postseason in the spring 2023. WCU won seven tournament titles since 2018, including a program record four team wins during the 2022-23 season.

Following a remarkable 2022-23 season, Gunter earned the 2023 Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors. 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 with the successful regular season, earned an at-large berth into the inaugural Golfweek National Golf Invitational – the first postseason bid for the school since 2007.

Gunter came to Western Carolina after two seasons at Coastal Carolina from 2016-18. She led the Chanticleers to the first Sun Belt Conference title in program history in 2018. Four of her golfers were named to the All-Sun Belt team, including three First Team selections, while Malene Krolboll Hansen was named the Sun Belt Golfer of the Year.

Before her time in Conway, South Carolina, Gunter was an assistant coach at East Carolina for three years, while earning a masters 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 team that won five team titles, as well as recorded 20 top five finishes, appeared in four NCAA Regional Championships and advanced to two NCAA Championships.

During her sophomore season playing for the Tarheels, UNC won the ACC title and finished tied for eighth at the NCAA Championship. Gunter was tabbed a 2010 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) All-American, a 2010 All-ACC honoree and a two-time All-ACC Honor Roll member (2010 and 2012).

The Matthews, North Carolina native was a four-time all-conference choice and three-time Player of the Year at Porter Ridge High School. Her high school won four consecutive championships and three state titles during her prep career. As an amateur golfer, Gunter won the 2011 Carolinas’ Amateur and was tabbed the 2008 Carolinas Golf Association Female Golfer of the Year.

Gunter earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and exercise sport science from UNC in May 2013.