WHITFIELD, Pa. – The Berks County Aquatic Hall of Fame announced on Saturday, March 23, that Golden Eagle head swimming & diving coach Bree Kelley will be among those inducted as part of the Class of 2024.
The announcement came as part of a Facebook post on the Hall’s official page.
Kelley has overseen a dramatic resurgence of the Golden Eagle swimming & diving programs in her tenure as head coach. This year the Golden Eagle men produced three total All-America Honorable Mention placements, including two for
and one for
at the 2024 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. The Clarion men were the PSAC Championships runners-up, their best finish since 2011. On the women’s side, Golden Eagle
became the first woman swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2014.
A trailblazer in the PSAC, last year Kelley was voted the PSAC Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year, making her the first woman in conference history to win a Swimming Coach of the Year award. Under her tutelage Bocci was voted the PSAC Men’s Swimmer of the Year in a season where he placed eighth nationally in the 200 Fly and, while Cary earned All-America Honorable Mention Honors in the 100 Fly.
Kelley was in her seventh season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Clarion in 2016 before accepting the head job. She was 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 the PSAC Championships and 17th in the nation in 2013 and finished 15th at the 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-2000s. 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, and 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.
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