CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois Director of Golf Justin Fetcho announced the hiring of Southern Illinois University alum Samantha Sambursky as the new Head Women’s Golf Coach on Monday.
“We look for her to hit the ground running and work toward bringing not just stability to the program, but also competing for Missouri Valley Conference titles,” Fetcho said.
A Springfield, Ill., native, Sambursky (Sutzer) was a four-time letterwinner and a member of the 2007 MVC Championship team. From there, she served as an assistant coach for the program from 2007-11.
Sambursky takes her alumni status seriously and hopes to help her players hold the program with the same reverence.
“I’m excited to be back in Saluki maroon and to give back to a program that helped shape me,” she said. “As an alum, it’s important to me that our student-athletes understand the tradition and legacy of Saluki Women’s Golf.”
Fetcho is excited to have Sambursky on staff and believes her days playing the sport will be critical for a Women’s Golf program that is now on its third head coach in three seasons.
“She is going to put a strong emphasis on player development and team culture, and I know she will be able to relate to the student-athletes from her past experiences,” he said. “She has a competitive fire that will push everyone around her to be better, and I am excited to go to work with someone like that every day.”
Sambursky was the head coach at John A. Logan College in 2024 and has also served as the Head Professional at Jackson County Country Club. She has an extensive background in Sports Psychology and a master’s degree in Kinesiology from SIU.
“I want to give the program consistency in leadership, while instilling a culture rooted in hard work, and help create an environment where we grow together-on and off the course,” she said.
The Southern Illinois Women’s Golf team will tee off on Monday, Sept. 15, at The Velvet Classic in Paducah, Ky.