Brendan Buckley, who has made major contributions to the wrestling programs wherever he has coached, was named head wrestling coach at Columbia in June 2000. He replaced Lou Montano, Columbia’s coach of nine years, who resigned to return to his native California.

It is the first head coaching position for Buckley, who came to Columbia from the University of Virginia, where he had been the first assistant coach for two seasons. He helped the Cavaliers to two straight finishes in the top 25 in the NCAA Championships, and helped to develop three All-Americans. In March 2000, Steve Garland, with whom Buckley had worked closely, reached the title match of the NCAA Championships at 125 pounds, upsetting top-seeded Jody Strittmatter of Iowa in the quarterfinals.

Buckley previously was the chief assistant coach at both the University of California at Davis, and at Sacramento City College. Serving at UC Davis during 1997-98, he was instrumental in the Aggies’ best season ever, including victories over Stanford and Southern Oregon. He coached Mike Collier, the first UC Davis wrestler ever to win an NCAA championship round match. Sacramento City College placed five men in the California Junior College Championships during his tenure.

"Brendan has compiled an excellent record wherever he has coached," said Dr. John A. Reeves, Columbia’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "We were very impressed not only with his record of accomplishment, but especially his ability to relate to his wrestlers. Lou Montano built a solid foundation for the Columbia wrestling program; now we’re looking forward to what Brendan can construct on that foundation."

Associate Athletic Director Paul Fernandes chaired the search committee for the new coach. "We conducted the most wide-ranging search I have ever been associated with at Columbia," Fernandes said, "with applications from more than 30 candidates. We interviewed eight men, nearly all of whom are Division I coaches, and felt Brendan was an ideal choice for the position.

"We have accelerated efforts to upgrade several aspects of the Columbia wrestling program, including a stronger schedule and increased recruiting efforts. We also have hired Karl Roesler, a coach at Illinois who was a two-time All-American heavyweight wrestler and Big 10 runner-up there, as one of our assistant coaches, and have initiated an immediate search for a first assistant. Both assistants will concentrate on mat coaching."

A native Long Islander, Buckley grew up in Orlando, FL. He was a high school All-American and Florida State champion at 135 pounds for Lake Howell High, then starred at Clemson, making Freshman All-American his first year and reaching the NCAA Final 16 as a 142-lb. sophomore.

When Clemson dropped wrestling after the 1994-95 season, Buckley transferred to Fresno State, where he wrestled under the famed Dennis Deliddo. He was a Western Athletic Conference champ for the Bulldogs, and made All-American in 1997, when he placed seventh in the NCAA’s at 142 pounds.

Buckley graduated from Fresno in 1997 with a B.A. in speech communication.

Dave Esposito, a two-time NCAA placewinner, has been named first assistant wrestling coach at Columbia. The addition of Esposito gives the Lions one of the most talented coaching staffs in the nation.

Esposito was one of only 12 two-time All-Americans at Lehigh. Wrestling at 149 pounds, he finished second in the 2001 NCAA Championships and third in the 2000 NCAA’s. He won the EIWA Championships both seasons, and was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the 2001 Easterns. He also qualified for the 1998 NCAA’s, winning two of four bouts.

His finest year was his senior season of 2000-01. In addition to the NCAA and EIWA honors, he was runner-up in the Midlands and the Las Vegas Invitational, going 35-4 overall. He was chosen Lehigh’s Most Valuable Wrestler (for the second time) and Senior Male Athlete of the Year. His 105 career victories placed him fifth on the Mountain Hawks’ all-time list.

A native of Matawan, N.J., Esposito was a three-time New Jersey state placewinner for John F. Kennedy Memorial High, finishing third twice and second once. He was graduated from Lehigh in 2001 as a Dean’s List student in marketing.

Yero Washington, a two-time NCAA All-American at Fresno State and a member of the United States National Team, has joined the Columbia wrestling staff as a graduate assistant coach. He replaces another former All-American, Karl Roesler, who will serve as Columbia’s volunteer coach this season.

Yero Washington will be reunited with Brendan Buckley at Columbia. The Lions’ head coach was Washington’s teammate and workout partner on Fresno State’s powerful wrestling teams in the mid-1990’s.

A native of Porterville, Calif., Washington was a California state champion in high school, and a junior college All-American at Fresno City College, winning the California State Junior College Championships. Transferring to Fresno State, he twice made All-American, in 1996, when he finished sixth in the nation at 134 pounds, and in 1997, when he was third in the nation. He helped the Bulldogs to an 11th-place finish in the 1997 NCAA Championships.

He continued wrestling after graduation, with great success. A member of the U.S. National Team and America’s World Cup and Nations Cup teams, Washington was the 1998 Sunkist International champion and the 1999 Winter Classic champ. He won the Northwest Regional Qualifier for the 2000 Olympic Games, and then finished fifth in the Olympic Team Trials. He plans to continue working toward an Olympic berth while coaching at Columbia.

Washington is not new to coaching. He served as head assistant wrestling coach at Fresno City College from 1997 through 1999, and was on the Fresno State staff for the 1999-2000 season, working closely with three-time NCAA champion Stephen Abas.

A 1999 graduate of Fresno State, with a B.S. in physical education, Washington has spent the past two years as a sales representative for Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceutica) in Fresno.

When Karl Roesler joined the Columbia wrestling staff, he brought a large dose of Big Ten wrestling prowess with him. Roesler (pronounced RASE-ler) is one of the best mat men in the history of the University of Illinois. He twice made All-American after placing in the NCAA Championships, is a threesome Big Ten place winner, and ranks among the Illini's all-time greats in both victories and pins.

The Rockdale, IL, native first burst onto the college wrestling scene as a freshman. He was 23-10 for Illinois at 190 pounds, finished fourth in the Big Ten Championships, and qualified for the NCAA Championships. Although he went only 4-7 as a sophomore, missing most of the season with a foot injury, he rebounded with two superb seasons his final two years.

Wrestling heavyweight, Roesler went 30-10 as a junior, including nine falls, and captured fifth in the Big Ten and seventh in the NCAA's. He also served as the Illini captain.

As a senior, he capped that performance with a brilliant 29-7 record that included nine more pins. The Big Ten runner-up, he finished third in the NCAA's, and was chosen Illinois' Outstanding Wrestler.

Roesler concluded his career with 88 career victories, ranking him 11th on Illinois's all-time list, and 21 career pins, fifth best all-time. He also was the 1996 USA Espoir national; champion, and finished second at the Pacific Ocean Games for the USA Espoir World Team. Two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-Big Ten, he was graduated from Illinois in the spring of 1999 with a B.S. in kinesiology.

After a year as assistant wrestling coach at his alma mater, he moved to the Columbia staff. In addition to coaching, he is studying for a master's in anthropology at Columbia.