Following five seasons as the head coach of the Emory University women's golf program, Katie Futcher has announced her retirement.

Futcher, who was named the first head coach in Emory women's golf history in the summer of 2018, elevated the Eagles into a national powerhouse in the short period since the program's inception.

During her tenure, Futcher's Eagles earned three finishes inside the top-seven at the NCAA Championships, including the program's first-ever national championship in 2022, and captured back-to-back University Athletic Association titles. Furthermore, she mentored current sophomore Ellen Dong to the individual national championship in 2022 – becoming the first woman in school history to win an individual national championship.

Her players captured four All-America honors, one national freshman of the year, seven All-Region accolades, 11 WGCA Scholar Athletes, nine All-UAA selections and two UAA tournament MVPs. Futcher was a two-time WGCA Southeast Coach of the Year as well as a two-time UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honoree with Assistant Head Coach Christel Boeljon.

The Eagles won 11 tournaments during her tutelage and spent 41 weeks as the No. 1 team in the country over her final two seasons.

Prior to joining the Eagles in 2018, Futcher was part of the James Madison University coaching staff during the 2017-18 season after one year as a volunteer assistant coach with her alma mater Penn State. At PSU, she enjoyed a memorable career where she ranked as the Nittany Lions' scoring leader all four years while playing her way to a pair of NGCA All-America and All-Big Ten berths.

Following her undergraduate career, Futcher went on to play on the LPGA tour, competing in more than 25 major championships and 120 events while earning Class A status with the LPGA. Futcher also served as a player representative on the LPGA Board.

A national search will get underway for the next head coach of the program.

Statement from Katie Futcher

My time at Emory has been very special. I would like to thank so many people for helping make the last five years possible.

I would like to thank Keiko Price for her belief in me, her leadership, and her commitment to excellence within our department. It has been a pleasure to work for and with her. She is a true leader, and I look forward to Emory's many successes to come under her leadership.

I would like to acknowledge my fellow coaches and especially, John Sjoberg, the men's golf coach. My colleagues embraced me from day one and pushed me to be excellent. John was instrumental in helping me start this program and was a huge part of our success. I would also like to give a special shout out to our swim and dive coaches in suite 320. Excellence fosters excellence, and it was my good fortune to be near this team of coaches every day.

Furthermore, the last five years would not have been near as fun or rewarding without my wife by my side as our assistant coach. She selflessly let me pursue my goal and vision of coaching, supported me, and helped develop our players on and off the course. I was fortunate that she wanted to help me coach and so were our players.

I would like to voice my appreciation for people I worked with in the athletic department and at the WoodPec regularly- Mike Hyde, Bobbie Whipple, Greg Lewis, Phil Engel, Drew Williams and Martine Occeas.

I would like to say a big thank you to our team's support staff which includes Joyce Jaleel, John Dunham, Audrey Hester, Kalyn Wilson, and Tristan Reaves. You cannot have a successful program without balance, and these individuals made sure our team was cared for physically, mentally, emotionally, and academically.

The last and final credit goes to our players. We set a very high bar in regards to our players' dedication and sacrifice. We were fortunate to have players who strived to meet our standards, and I appreciate their effort and commitment. Also, they entrusted us with helping their golf games, and we are grateful to be a part of their journey and improvement as players. We have seen our players do things that are truly amazing, maybe things they never thought they could do. The shots and well-executed moments under pressure have given us goosebumps! Our players deserve all the success and accolades they have received because they have truly earned them. We will miss them greatly but look forward to seeing them continue to succeed on and off the course.

Statement from Emory University Associate Vice President of Campus Life/Clyde Partin Sr., Director of Athletics Keiko Price

I am thankful for the hard work, dedication, and care that Katie put into our women's golf program. The amount of success she achieved in such a short amount of time is remarkable. She started a program from scratch less than five years ago and leaves Emory with a national team championship. Unbelievable. As an athletic director who has worked with phenomenal coaches throughout my career, I can truly say Katie is the complete package. Her commitment to and care for her student-athletes, our department, and for Emory is unparalleled. I wish her the best as she embarks on this new chapter in life.