NEW ROCHELLE, NY— Iona University Acrobatics & Tumbling head coach Jacquie Eshleman announced the appointment of Sydney Hess as assistant coach.

Hess, a five-time NCATA event national title winner and NCATA Academic All-American at Gannon University joins the Gaels after spending the last year in her home state of New Jersey as a special education teacher and coaching at the academy level.
 
"Sydney was a stellar athlete, teammate, and leader while I was at Gannon, said Eshleman. She always knew how to uplift others and was the epitome of selflessness and servitude to her program. I am so excited to add Sydney to staff and have no doubt she will be a tremendous asset to our program and university here at Iona."
 
Hess was a five-year starter for the Golden Knights and captured five national championship event titles in her final two seasons. In 2023, she helped Gannon to an appearance in the NCATA Quarterfinals. In the Event Finals, she was a member of the synchronized toss and open toss winning teams. The Golden Knights posted winning scores of 9.475 in the synchronized toss and 9.550 in the open toss to record back-to-back title winning performances.
 
In 2022, Gannon posted a 10-2 record and made a run to the NCATA Championship final, falling narrowly to national power Baylor. Hess was a member of national event title winning performances in the synchronized pyramid, synchronized toss and open toss events.
 
Hess was a five-time member of the NCATA Honor Roll and 2023 Academic All-American and member of the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood/Special Education at Gannon in 2022 and Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2023.