Clarion Athletics

Kyle Kiss, a former assistant coach and wrestler at North Carolina, will begin his fifth season as an assistant coach with the Golden Eagles in 2019-20.  

Kiss has been an essential part of the rebuilding effort at Clarion, leading the Golden Eagles' recruiting efforts under head coach Keith Ferraro.  Clarion has produced 10 NCAA qualifiers over the last four years after having none in 2015, a testament to the recruiting ability of the coaching staff.  The team has worked through spates of injuries to produce .500 or better records in dual matches in 2017-18 and 2018-19, the first time they've done so in back-to-back seasons since the early 1990's.  

The grapplers on the mat have benefited from Kiss's presence as well.  Clarion produced four NCAA qualifiers in 2018, the most they've had in a single season since 2012.  The Golden Eagles also had two NCAA qualifiers each in 2016, 2017 and 2019, including three-time qualifier Brock Zacherl and two-time qualifier Greg Bulsak.

Clarion has also done well in the classroom in that timespan.  The Golden Eagles have claimed nine NWCA All-Academic selections over the last three years, including three in 2016.  In 2019 the team was recognized for ranking in the top 10 percent in the NCAA Division I APR rankings, which measures academic success, retention and graduation rates.

Before coming to Clarion, Kiss was an assistant coach at North Carolina from 2014-15.  While at UNC Kiss worked closely with the middle weights and coached five national qualifiers, including All-American 165-pounder Ethan Ramos.  
 
A native of Loch Arbour, N.J. and a 2007 graduate of Ocean Township High, Kiss was a four-time New Jersey state placewinner. He was a two-time Beast of the East finalist and was also a state finalist as a senior.
 
In 2007 Kiss moved on to wrestle for the Tar Heels, where he enjoyed a decorated career on the mat.  He was a three-time ACC placewinner for UNC that was ranked in the top 20 nationally in the 2010 and 2012 seasons. He graduated from UNC in 2012 with a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science, and in 2018 he earned in Masters in Sport Management from IUP.