Cantú Announces Addition of Golightly to Women’s Golf Coaching Staff

Kristen Golightly is set to join Tennessee’s women’s golf coaching staff as an assistant coach, head coach Diana Cantu announced Thursday. 

Golightly joins Cantu and fellow assistant coach Anna Newell, for the 2024-25 season on Rocky Top.

“I am thrilled to add Kristen to our staff this season,” said Cantu. “Her personality, work ethic, and determination are going to be huge for our program.

 

“She has excelled in working with both men and women’s collegiate teams and is experienced in running a golf program in all aspects. Kristen’s most powerful skills complement our staff really well and I’m looking forward to watching her grow in her role with our team.” 

Boasting two years of head coaching experience at NCAA Division II level, Golightly has spent the past two seasons at West Georgia. Prior to that, Golightly served as an assistant coach at UWG for four seasons.

Golightly guided the Wolves to three top-five finishes and had two players earn All-GSC recognition during the 2023-24 season. 

Following this past season, four UWG women’s golfers were named WGCA All-American Scholars as their team earned the WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award.

In her time as an assistant and head coach at UWG, Golightly coached six All-Gulf South Conference selections and three GSC Players of the Year.

Prior to her time in Carrolton, Georgia, Golightly spent two seasons at West Alabama as the Tiger’s assistant men’s and women’s golf coach.

In her time at UWA, Golightly was crucial in the development of Ye Yun Jin, who was the 2017 GSC Individual Medalist.

Before her assistant coaching stint at West Alabama, Golightly served as a graduate assistant for the women’s golf team and also in the compliance office at South Alabama. There, Golightly helped Carianne Wright to a spot on the All-Sun Belt Conference team and had three players named WGCA All-Scholar.

As a player at South Alabama, Golightly competed for the Jaguars from 2009 to 2013, and was a four-time member of the WGCA All-American Scholar Team and the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List.

On the course, she was the 2011 Lady Jaguar Invitational champion, and was named 2013 All-Sun Belt as a senior. In her career, Golightly had eight top-10 finishes in tournament play.

A 2013 graduate of South Alabama, Golightly received a degree in communication with a concentration in broadcast journalism and received a masters of education from USA in 2016.