Montoya Joins NU Staff as Volunteer Assistant

Former Husker and two-time NCAA All-American Eric Montoya will return to the Nebraska wrestling program as its volunteer assistant coach, Nebraska head coach Mark Manning announced Friday.

“We’re extremely happy to have Eric Montoya join our coaching staff,” Manning said. “He was a tremendous competitor as he became a two-time All-American here at Nebraska, and his passion for the sport and the love that he has for Nebraska will benefit us greatly.”

Montoya will work primarily with the lower weight classes on the team, and will assist with the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center and summer camps.

Montoya racked up a career record of 113-49 as a collegiate wrestler, competing three seasons for Nebraska and one season for Campbell. In his three years at NU, Montoya went 80-32 and qualified for the NCAA Championships all three seasons, earning a pair of All-America honors.

As a senior in 2016-17, Montoya posted a record of 30-7, including 14-2 in duals, and placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships.

He was an All-American for the first time as a junior in 2016, as he placed fifth at the NCAA Championships and also took fifth at the Big Ten Championships.

A four-time NCAA Championships qualifier, Montoya reached the Round of 12 as a sophomore in 2015, and also qualified for the tournament as a freshman at Campbell in 2013. He was Nebraska’s Redshirt of the Year for the 2013-14 season.

“I’m really happy to come back to Nebraska,” Montoya said. “After I graduated, I went home for a little bit, and spent some time with my wife and family. I knew that I wanted to come back and coach at this level, and I’m really excited to be back and hopefully I can make a difference in the Nebraska wrestling program.”

Montoya was a two-time member of the NWCA All-Academic Team, and he was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He also spent five semesters on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.

An Albuquerque, New Mexico, native, Montoya was a four-time state champion at Volcano Vista High School. He graduated from Nebraska in May of 2017 with a degree in business management. Montoya resides in Lincoln with his wife, Evangeline, and two sons, Josiah and Asher