Iona University Athletics

Hess joined the Iona Acrobatics & Tumbling coaching staff in July 2024. A five-time NCATA event national title winner and NCATA Academic All-American at Gannon University, she comes to New Rochelle after spending the last year in her home state of New Jersey as a special education teacher and coaching gymnastics at the academy level.
 
She was a five-year starter as a back/base for the Golden Knights, including four seasons under coach Eshleman. Hess captured five NCATA 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. She was a five-time member of the NCATA Honor Roll and 2023 Academic All-American and member of the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society.
 
Hess 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.