A two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Swimming Coach of the Year, Brehan (Heebner) Kelley was named the head coach of the Golden Eagle men's and women's swimming & diving teams in March 2018 after serving as Interim Head Coach since December 2016. She previously served as an assistant coach for seven years. A former 12-time NCAA D-II All-American at Clarion who specialized in the butterfly and IM events from 2003-2006, she is now entering her ninth season as head coach in 2024-25.
Kelley has kept the teams together through numerous challenges in her tenure, including a period of time where the team practiced and competed in outside venues during the renovation of Tippin Natatorium. From 2017-19 she coaxed strong performances from her student-athletes despite these hurdles, with the women's squad placing fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in 2018 and 2019. The men's team also placed fourth at the conference meet in 2018, and fifth in 2019.
In 2023-24 Kelley repeated as the PSAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year, coaching the Golden Eagles to their best finish at the conference championship meet in more than a decade. The Golden Eagle men's swimming team finished second at the 2024 PSAC Championships, their best finish as a team since 2011. Clarion men combined for three individual and one relay conference championships over the course of the week in Carlisle, taking home the gold in the 100 Fly, the 200 Fly, the 100 Back and the 400 Medley Relay. They also racked up a host of other finals appearances that week, stacking points in events like the 200 IM, in which they had four finalists. Individually, the duo of Connor Cary and David Bocci both earned bids to the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships in March. That duo combined for three All-America Honorable Mention honors over the course of the week at the SPIRE Center, with both cracking the top-16 in the 200 Fly and Cary doing so in the 100 Fly. On the women's side of things, Hannah Greenway made NCAA B cuts in the 50 Free and the 100 Free in 2023-24, becoming the first Golden Eagle woman to qualify for the NCAA Championships since Gabriella Schaffer in 2014.
The 2022-23 season was the best to date of Kelley's career, as she made history in the conference and turned two athletes into All-Americans. Kelley was voted the PSAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year, making her the first woman in the history of the conference to win a swimming coach of the year award. She earned that award largely on the backs of David Bocci and Connor Cary, who both clinched NCAA Championships berths and earned spots on the podium in the process. Bocci was voted the PSAC Men's Swimming Athlete of the Year after placing eighth in the nation in the 200 Fly to earn First Team All-America, while Cary earned Second Team All-America honors in the 100 Fly. Golden Eagle men won three PSAC Championships in 2023, with Bocci winning the 200 Fly, Cary the 200 IM, and the 800 Free Relay team placing first.
In 2021-22, Kelley coached her second PSAC Men's Freshman of the Year, with first-year athlete David Bocci earning the honors after a stellar performance at the conference championship meet. Connor Cary earned alternate status for the 2022 NCAA Championships meet, and the men's swimming & diving team broke a number of school records over the course of the season. On the women's side, the Golden Eagles placed fourth at the conference championships, representing a jump from the previous year.
In 2020, men's swimmer Connor Cary earned PSAC Freshman of the Year honors, and in 2021 was named the conference's Men's Swimmer of the Meet at the PSAC Championships after racking up three titles. On the women's side, Ava Arnold claimed the 2021 conference title in the 100 Backstroke, making her the first women's individual champion for Clarion since Summer Dacheux in 2018.
Kelley was in her seventh season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Clarion in 2016 before accepting the head job. She has been integral in the success of the swimming programs in her time as an assistant coach, including a fourth-place finish for the women’s team at the NCAA Championships in 2011. The Golden Eagle women were second at PSAC Championships and 17th in the nation in 2013, and finished 15th at NCAA Championships in 2015. The men’s side has also excelled at the national meet with Kelley as an assistant, taking 15th in 2012, 17th in 2013, 13th in 2014, and 18th in 2015.
As an athlete, Kelley was among the best Clarion had to offer in the mid-2000’s. She was a 12-time All-American that helped Clarion to PSAC team championships in 2004 and 2006 as well as second-place finishes in 2003 and 2005. The Golden Eagles finished fifth at the NCAA Championships in 2004, 10th in both 2003 and 2005, and 11th in 2006.
Kelley’s best individual finish at the NCAA Championships came in 2004 when she placed eighth in the nation in the 200 Fly. She placed ninth in the event in 2006 for the other top-10 national finish in her career, and earned 12th place in 2005. In 2004 she also placed 14th in the 100 Fly, 15th in the 400 IM, in 2005 she placed 14th in the 200 IM, and in 2006 she also placed in the 100 Fly. Kelley was also part of multiple All-American relay efforts.
A 2006 graduate of Clarion with a degree in Elementary Education, Kelley is married to her husband Jesse, and the couple has two sons.
In December of 2011 Kelley became a Certified “Level 1” Crossfit Trainer. Having a current CF-L1 certificate affords her the legal right to train others using CrossFit methods and the opportunity to apply for affiliation with Crossfit. The course allows her to train Clarion swimming athletes more efficiently and help them reach their maximum potential.
