With the help of Assistant Coach Brian Gross and his daughters Carly and Chloe, the program is making a name for itself at the national level.
Throughout much of middle and high school, Carly Gross was the only girl on her West York Area School District wrestling teams. Walking onto the mat in her singlet, she often felt the weight of being the lone female competitor, an outsider in a sport dominated by boys.
But just as the spark of embarrassment began to build, she would hear the familiar voices of the wrestling cheerleaders, her sisters Chloe and Claudia among them, chanting her name.
Her mother, Rebecca, a West York cheerleading coach, led the chants, and her father, Brian, served as West York wrestling coach at the time. Their undying support turned what could have been an isolating experience into one that would help shape Carly’s future in women’s wrestling. Carly now serves alongside her father as a York College of Pennsylvania Assistant Women’s Wrestling Coach, helping to grow the sport at the school.
A family of wrestlers
Brian Gross, ’93, a Criminology and Criminal Justice graduate, has been involved in the sport for decades. A Spartan wrestler from 1988 to 1993, he has built a career in coaching, first volunteering at Dover Area High School and later serving as head coach at West York Area High School for 15 years.
When York College announced the formation of a Women’s Wrestling team, he jumped at the opportunity to join the program and was named Assistant Wrestling Coach during the 2022-2023 season.
For Gross, wrestling has been a family affair. He loves having Carly, a former wrestler at Lock Haven University, serve as an assistant coach. Chloe ’25, a Healthcare Administration major, is a member of the York College team. Meanwhile, his oldest daughter, Claudia ’26, a Secondary Education Social Studies major, competed for two years on the College track and field team.
“It’s a dream come true. We’re a close family,” Gross says. “It’s been fun having everybody around. It shows the other girls on the team that it’s a big family.”
Chloe didn’t plan to compete at York College, but the family legacy inevitably drew her in. While injury has kept her from competing her junior season, she was able to compete her senior year and had multiple wins by fall season. She’s been an advocate for team bonding, organizing pumpkin painting, game nights, and team dinners.
“I try to make sure we create memories outside of wrestling,” she says.
Quickly gaining national prominence
Women’s wrestling has grown rapidly in recent years, with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association sanctioning the sport at the high school level in 2024. In only its second competition season, the Spartan team sent six wrestlers to the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in Iowa in March 2025.
“It’s tough when it’s a new program, and you’re trying to bring in girls that will fit the culture you want, but I think the culture we have is special,” Gross says.
As women’s wrestling continues to grow at the collegiate level, York College aims to remain a top contender, though for now, the team is forced to compete against Division I and II schools. With NCAA governance on the horizon for college programs, Gross expects York College will likely compete primarily against Division III schools in the future.
“We got ranked for the first time this year, and among Division III teams, we’re fifth in the nation,” he says.
When Gross began his wrestling coaching career nearly a quarter-century ago, he never imagined he’d one day get to coach and work alongside his daughters. He hopes to be part of York College’s program until retirement, helping to build it into a powerhouse in women’s wrestling.
“We want to be a national contender,” Gross says. “No men’s or women’s team at York College has ever brought home a national trophy, but we believe we can be the first.”
