Kansas State has strengthened its men’s and women’s golf programs by hiring Marta Perez as an assistant coach, bringing a recently graduated collegiate golfer with international experience and a strong competitive résumé directly into the Wildcats’ coaching structure.
Perez joins Kansas State immediately after completing a four-year playing career at East Carolina, where she developed into a consistent contributor while competing against high-level collegiate competition. The Madrid, Spain, native will now transition from player to coach, giving K-State an assistant who has extensive firsthand experience with the demands of college golf.
Women’s golf head coach Stew Burke expressed excitement about the addition, emphasizing Perez’s energy, passion and willingness to learn. Burke believes her arrival reflects K-State’s broader ambition to compete at the highest level nationally while continuing to provide its student-athletes with the resources and guidance necessary to improve.
Perez enters the coaching profession at an encouraging point in her career. During her final semester at East Carolina, she produced four top-15 finishes, demonstrating some of her best form of her collegiate career. Her standout performances included a fifth-place tie at the Daniel Island Invitational, where she finished at 3-under 213, as well as a seventh-place finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships, her final collegiate tournament.
Her experience isn’t limited to competition. Perez also brings a strong academic background, having earned recognition on East Carolina’s Dean’s List in Spring 2025 and the Academic Honor Roll multiple times. She was also named to the AAC All-Academic Team for the 2023-24 season, underscoring her ability to balance athletic demands with academic responsibilities.
Men’s golf head coach Grant Robbins also welcomed Perez, pointing to her international playing background and recent experience competing at various levels around the world as qualities that could provide K-State golfers with a valuable perspective.
Before arriving at East Carolina, Perez spent the 2021-22 season at Minnesota as a redshirt, giving her experience within another Power Four collegiate program.
Her golf résumé stretches back even further. Before beginning her college career, Perez attended IES Ortega y Gasset in Madrid and established herself as one of Spain’s promising young golfers. She represented Team Madrid at the Spanish Championships, where she captured first place, while also winning the Madrid U16 and U18 Championships.
Perez additionally collected titles on the WAGR Capa Siero and WAGR Ladies Golf Tech Tour, giving her competitive experience beyond the traditional collegiate environment.
The hire represents an intriguing opportunity for K-State. Perez will now be able to draw from her experiences as a collegiate athlete while learning the coaching side of the game and working closely with both the men’s and women’s programs.
For the Wildcats, her arrival adds another layer of playing experience, international perspective and youthful energy to the coaching staffs. With Perez having only recently completed her own collegiate career, she should also have a particularly current understanding of the challenges student-athletes face in today’s college golf landscape.
K-State will be hoping that Perez can translate her competitive experiences into meaningful development for the Wildcats’ golfers as both programs pursue greater success on the national stage.
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