Wrestling Names Brendan Buckley as Assistant Coach

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November 10, 1998

Charlottesville, Va. – Virginia Head Wrestling Coach Lenny Bernstein has announced that he has hired Brendan Buckley as an assistant coach. Buckley begins his first season at Virginia as the primary assistant to head coach Lenny Bernstein.

It is a return to the Atlantic Coast Conference for Buckley, who wrestled at Clemson as a freshman and sophomore before the Tigers dropped their wrestling program. While at Clemson, Buckley earned Freshman All-American honors while at Clemson, going 18-15 in his first season. He was named a team captain his sophomore year and advanced to the NCAA Championships that year after a third-place finish at the ACC Championships.

Buckley transferred to Fresno State after his sophomore year and in his junior year won the Western Athletic Conference title at 142 pounds and was also named a Division I All-American. During his senior year, Buckley compiled an impressive 34-5 record and advanced to the NCAA Championships for a third consecutive year. He placed third at the Las Vegas Invitational, the All-California Open and the California Collegiate Championships. Heading into the NCAA Championships, Buckley had amassed a 15-match winning streak.

Buckley graduated from Fresno State in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a minor in business.

Coach Bernstein said about Buckley’s hiring, “We are very excited to have a coach as well respected as Brendan. He has been with 2 very successful, but very different, programs in Clemson and Fresno State, and the diverse experiences has given Brendan a great perspective on what it takes to be successful in college wrestling. His wrestling technique is exceptional and he is a great ‘people person,’ already gaining the respect and admiration of the entire team.”

The Cavaliers opened this weekend with an open tournament at Coppin State. They continue the 1998-99 season with a trip to VMI to compete in the Keydet Invitational.