Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Aug. 3, 2022 - North Central College athletic director Jim Miller '86 has announced the hiring of Alyssa Gaudio '11/M '13 Guss as the new head coach for the Cardinals' men's and women's golf programs.

Guss is the most decorated student-athlete in the history of the North Central women's program and brings nearly a decade of NCAA Division I coaching experience to the position.

"We're incredibly proud to welcome Coach Guss back home," Miller said. "Our women's team experienced a lot of firsts when Alyssa played here, and her teams have made a habit of doing the same since she's been a head coach."

Guss was most recently head coach of the women's golf program at Oakland University (Michigan), after helping launch the Golden Grizzlies' program in 2014. Guss directed Oakland to its first conference championship and its first NCAA Division I Championship appearance while also coaching the program's first individual conference champion. Guss was voted Horizon League Coach of the Year four times.

"I've learned that every team is different, every student-athlete is different and each year brings new challenges," Guss said. "It's all about growing with your players, learning how to care and interact with each person and figuring out what works best to bring the team together."

Guss' first head coaching position was at Chicago State University in 2013-2014. The team set new tournament scoring records for 18 and 54 holes while placing second at the 2014 PGA Minority Championship.

As a student-athlete at North Central, Guss was the women's golf program's first College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) individual champion and individual national championship qualifier in 2008. As a senior in 2011, Guss returned to the national championship with the entire Cardinal team, which qualified for the event for the first time. Guss earned the Cardinals' first-ever All-America award in the sport and was the first North Central player to sink a hole-in-one in competition.

Guss was inducted into the North Central Athletic Hall of Fame and presented with the College's Cleo Tanner Award for contributions to women's sports in 2018.

"It's always been a passion of mine to be able to coach at my alma mater and continue to grow the program I had the pleasure of playing for, and I want to thank Jim Miller for this opportunity," Guss said. "There is no doubt in my mind that this is the right step for my family and me. I'm beyond excited to be back at a place that is home to me!"

Guss is set to officially assume duties as head coach Aug. 8. The Cardinals' season opener is set for Sept. 2-3, when they travel to Bristol Oaks Country Club in Bristol, Wisconsin, for the Carthage College Battle at the Border.

"Implementing past successes helps with every transition," Guss said. "I'm looking forward to meeting with the players and finding out what they believe has worked best for them. I know how important it is to be part of the plan and I want our players to know that is the goal.

"Getting everyone on the same page and buying into our team goal is what will allow us to succeed."

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