Browne, Brester Join NU Coaching Staff

Two recent NU All-Americans will add further experience and knowledge to the Husker wrestling coaching staff as Nebraska has announced the additions of volunteer assistant Brandon Browne and administrative assistant Craig Brester. Along with recently-hired assistant coach Bryan Snyder, the three new hires combined to win 87 percent of their matches and earn eight All-America honors during their Husker careers.

Browne will be in his second year with the Huskers after serving as the team's club coach last year. A native of Plattsmouth, Neb., Browne won back-to-back Big 12 championships at 174 pounds in 2008 and 2009. He placed fourth at the NCAA Championships as a junior and senior to finish his career as a two-time All-American with a 79-15 record. His .840 winning percentage ranks seventh on the school's all-time win list after enjoying his best seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09 with a combined 65-9 mark. The team's Most Improved Wrestler during the 2007-08 season, Browne earned a psychology degree from Nebraska in August 2009. His younger brother, Cameron, will be a senior on the Nebraska wrestling team in 2010-11.

Brester will be the most recent face on the NU staff and serve the role of administrative assistant. The Howells, Neb., native finished his career this past March with his second-straight NCAA runner-up finish at 197 pounds. Through four years, Brester produced a 109-21 record and ranks with the eight-best winning percentage (.838) in school history. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2009 Big 12 Championships following his individual title that lifted the Huskers to a share of the team championship. Brester graduated with a mechanized systems management degree and was named Nebraska's Male Student-Athlete of the Year for excellent achievements on the mat, in the classroom and in the community.

The additions of Browne and Brester complete Nebraska's coaching staff for the 2010-11 season. Earlier this month, the Huskers announced the return and addition of Snyder, a four-time All-American, to give the NU coaching staff three members of Nebraska's 100-win club (Snyder, Brester and NU strength and conditioning coach Jason Powell). They will join 11th-year head coach Mark Manning and fifth-year assistant coach Tony Ersland to form a knowledgeable and loyal staff that has spent a combined 40 years with the NU wrestling program as either a student-athlete or coach.

Brandon Browne
Volunteer Coach
Record at Nebraska: 79-15
All-American: 2008 (4th), 2009 (4th)
Big 12 Champion: 2008, 2009

Craig Brester
Administrative Assistant
Record at Nebraska: 109-21
All-American: 2008 (4th), 2009 (2nd), 2010 (2nd)
Big 12 Champion: 2009