Rebecca Wilkerson Hired as Assistant Coach at Clarion University

Courtesy: Clarion Athletics

CLARION, Pa. – Head men’s and women’s swimming & diving coach Bree Kelley announced today that Rebecca Wilkerson will join the staff as an assistant coach. Wilkerson brings years of experience in coaching, as well as a competitor in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

“I am so excited to welcome Rebecca to Clarion,” Kelley said. “With her extensive background and experience across all three divisions, including at Division I Notre Dame, she will immediately be a huge asset to the program and our team’s success. Rebecca has the knowledge, skills, experience and enthusiasm that is necessary to help grow and build the program to reach our goals. I cannot wait to begin working with her.”

“I am incredibly excited to be joining the Clarion swimming and diving staff,” Wilkerson said. “I look forward to seeing what this season has in store for us, and I cannot wait to help build upon the foundation Coach Kelley has created in this program.”

Wilkerson was most recently a volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame, where she worked primarily with the mid-distance and stroke groups. Her responsibilities included creating practice plans throughout the week, including dry land workouts for each session. With Wilkerson on the staff, seven men and six women competed at the NCAA Division I Championships, with the Fighting Irish producing one All-American and six Honorable Mention All-Americans.

Prior to her time at Notre Dame, Wilkerson spent a season as an assistant coach at Washington & Jefferson. She helped rebuild the team from a roster standpoint, growing the squad from 16 to 38 members in 2020-21. She also played a role in mentoring student-athletes with time management and communication.

Wilkerson has compiled a variety of coaching experiences across the country, including working as a camp counselor at Princeton University and the University of Texas. She also worked with the East Coast Aquatics Club and Coral Springs Swim Club in Florida.

Before entering the coaching ranks, Wilkerson was a three-year letter winner at Cal U as a member of the swimming & diving program there. She went on to become a graduate assistant in the Success Center there, monitoring and guiding students into creating short-term and long-term goals to become more successful in the classroom.

Wilkerson graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Cal U in December 2018. She went on to earn her Masters in Sport Management in May 2020.