WILKES-BARRE, PA (August 20, 2026) -- King's College head wrestling coach Aaron Perez has announced the hiring of Connor Eck as an assistant coach for the Monarch wrestling program on Thursday.
 
Eck joins King's after an accomplished collegiate wrestling career at the Division I level, competing for both Lock Haven University and Clarion University. A Pennsylvania native with extensive competitive and coaching experience, Eck brings energy, high-level technical knowledge, and a passion for athlete development to the Monarchs.
 
"Adding a hungry, young coach like Connor to the program will bring high energy and a new perspective to the strong foundation we have been building here at King's over the past few seasons," said Perez. "His experience wrestling at a high level will make an immediate impact to our underclassmen and our returning starters alike. I am very pleased that he has chosen to begin his coaching career here with us at King's."
 
Eck wrestled four seasons at Lock Haven before competing at Clarion during the 2025-26 season. During his senior campaign in 2024-25, he put together a 14-6 overall record while winning individual titles at both the Journeymen Collegiate Classic and the Millersville Shorty Hitchcock Classic. He totaled two technical falls and one major decision during that season.
 
As a junior in 2023-24, Eck compiled a 24-19 overall record and earned a third-place finish at 157 pounds at the George Mason Patriot Open. During the 2022-23 season, he posted a 7-5 record and finished as runner-up at 149 pounds at the Princeton Open. He began his collegiate career in 2021-22 with an 18-15 mark while competing in the challenging Division I ranks.
 
Prior to college, Eck excelled at Bensalem High School, where he accumulated a career record of 105-35 and earned a fifth-place finish at the PIAA Class AAA State Championships.
 
In addition to his success on the mat, Eck has built coaching experience since 2022, working with more than 15 wrestlers from the elementary through high school levels. He has created individualized strength and nutrition programs, conducted private training sessions, and helped athletes monitor and achieve their performance goals.
 
Eck also gained administrative experience as an Athletic Director Intern at Jersey Shore Area High School in 2025. In that role, he assisted with event operations, scheduling, and athletic department functions while helping develop an eight-team wrestling dual tournament scheduled to debut in 2027. He was also a Dean's List student at Lock Haven during the 2024-25 academic year and recently attained a degree in Sport Management at Clarion University.
 
"I'm very excited to get the opportunity to work with a historic program like King's. The program has hungry hard-working young men, and I'm looking forward to help them achieve their goals of conference champions and All-American honors," said Eck. "Go Monarchs!"