Clara Bissell enters her fifth season with the Wesleyan women’s lacrosse team in 2026, earning a promotion to associate head coach in the 2023-24 season after serving as an assistant coach in her first two years at Wesleyan. Bissell arrived in Middletown following three seasons (2018-21) as an assistant coach for Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Cardinals continued a run of excellence in 2025, winning 15+ games for the third straight year while prolonging a streak of seven straight double-digit win seasons in non-COVID impacted campaigns. Wesleyan rattled off seven straight wins including a 13-10 triumph over Middlebury in the NESCAC Semifinal, as the Cardinals snapped the Panthers' 67-game win streak in the process. With that win over Middlebury, Wesleyan advanced to the NESCAC title game for the second straight year and later qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight non-COVID impacted season. The Cardinals defeated Babson and Rowan in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Quarterfinal round (Elite 8) for the second time in team history. Bissell and the Wesleyan coaching staff were recognized by the IWLCA as the Berkshire Region 2025 Coaching Staff of the Year.
The 2024 season saw Wesleyan win the Little Three title for a fourth straight year while advancing to the NESCAC Championship with a win in the semifinal round for the first time in team history. Wesleyan won a team record 10 straight games and had four wins over Top 5 ranked teams, having beaten Tufts twice as well as Salisbury on the road and William Smith at home. Wesleyan hosted play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time while the team was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally, the highest-ever ranking in team history.
The 2023 Cardinal squad achieved 15 wins, won the Little Three Championship, and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Wesleyan's 15 wins in 2023 are the second-most in team history while the Little Three title is the Cardinals' third consecutive and fourth in the last five seasons. Wesleyan defeated Roger Williams at home in the NCAA Second Round, advancing to the Third Round (Sweet 16) of the national tournament for the fourth straight time.
During her debut season with the team in 2022, Bissell helped lead the Cardinals to a 14-win season, Little Three title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 14 wins are the third-highest single-season win total in program history. Wesleyan defeated York (Pa.) in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, 13-11, advancing to the Third Round (Sweet 16) for the third time in program history.
In her time with the Pioneers, Bissell was part of two NCAA Tournament teams as Transylvania went 15-5 in 2019 and 11-5 in 2021, sporting a perfect 10-0 record in league play and winning the HCLC Championship both seasons. Bissell’s day-to-day duties included planning and executing player and team development across individual seasons, practices and games. Her administrative duties included managing compliance requests, coordinating team meals, managing film, organizing volunteer events, preparing scouting reports, developing social media content and producing recruiting communications.
Outside of collegiate lacrosse, Bissell helped coach the Sizzle Select Lacrosse Club based in Lexington for two seasons (2019-21). She worked with youth players in Central Kentucky through private lessons and prepared the student-athletes for tournament play through planning and executing practices.
Prior to Transylvania, Bissell’s first collegiate coaching experience came as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. This was her first glimpse at recruiting in college, planning practices, lifts and conditioning with the head coach.
Bissell’s experience outside of lacrosse includes an interim assistant field hockey coach title while at Transylvania in the fall of 2019. She also was a team manager for the Berry College football team for three seasons (2014-16) while an undergrad.
She was a three-year letterwinner in lacrosse at Berry College (graduated a semester early) as she totaled 38 goals and four assists for 42 points in 42 career games played.
Bissell graduated from Berry College in Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in English (literature) in December 2016. She went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from the Univ. of Charleston (W.V.) in May 2018.
