Lincoln - The Nebraska wrestling team has announced the return and addition of one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history, as Bryan Snyder has been named an assistant coach for the Huskers.
The only four-time All-American and four-time conference champion in school history, Snyder comes back to the Husker wrestling program in its 100th anniversary season (2010-11). The Easton, Pa., native spent last year as the head assistant coach at Arizona State and helped guide five Sun Devils to the 2010 NCAA Championships in Omaha. Snyder began his coaching experience as an assistant at Harvard in 2002-03, while returning to the Husker wrestling program as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05), as NU went 38-5-1 in duals and finished fifth at the 2004 NCAA Championships.
As a wrestler, Snyder ranks No. 1 on Nebraska's all-time winning percentage chart (.925), compiling a 136-11 record from 1999-2002. He claimed All-America accolades and a Big 12 championship all four years, while finishing as the NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds in 2001 and 2002. He amassed over 30 wins per season three times, including his 43-3 record as a sophomore that stands as the second-best single-season mark in school history. A four-time NWCA All-Academic selection, Snyder was named the 2002 Nebraska Male Student-Athlete of the Year and graduated with a double major in Sociology and Communication Studies.
Snyder is one of 18 members in Nebraska's 100-win club. Current NU wrestling strength and conditioning coach Jason Powell is also a part of that impressive group with a 109-24 record. Snyder and Powell were varsity teammates for two seasons (2000-01; 2001-02) and led the Huskers to eighth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships both years.
Prior to Nebraska, Snyder was a three-time state place-winner and a 1997 state champion at Easton (Pa.) High School. He finished with a 112-12 record and was one of the nation's most highly-regarded recruits.
Snyder and Powell join head coach Mark Manning and assistant coach Tony Ersland to form the nucleus of the NU coaching staff for the 2010-11 season. Manning, the 2009 Dan Gable Coach of the Year, enters his 11th season, while assistant coach Tony Ersland will begin his fifth year.
Bryan Snyder
Assistant Coach
Record at Nebraska: 136-11
All-American: 1999 (4th), 2000 (5th), 2001 (2nd), 2002 (2nd)
Big 12 Champion: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002