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Brian Brecht
Brian Brecht, who has over 20 seasons of collegiate coaching experience with 15 as a head coach, has spent nine seasons as the head coach at Rutgers. Brecht was named head coach of the Scarlet Knights on June 16, 2011.
While at Rutgers, Brecht has coached 12 All-Americans: Jules Heningburg (twice), Michael Rexrode (twice), Max Edelmann, Kieran Mullins, Kyle Pless, Christian Mazzone, Scott Bieda, Zack Sikora, Joe Nardella and Will Mangan. 21 players coached by Brecht at Rutgers have become members of professional lacrosse organizations following graduation.
Under Brecht, the program has maintained a tradition of strong academic performances. 16 of Brecht's players have been named Scholar All-Americans in the past six years. RU set records with 26 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 11 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2020. RU has had 115 student-athletes named Academic All-Big Ten since joining the conference. The team had 16 student-athletes named to the Dean's List in 2020, with a cumulative spring GPA of 3.47.
A major milestone is on the horizon for the program, with the opening of the Gary and Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center set to open in the winter of 2020. The facility will serve as the new home for the program with locker rooms and academic support.
In 2019, Brecht guided Rutgers to seven wins, including a victory at No. 4 Ohio State (14-6) that tied for the program's highest ever ranked road victory. With 37 wins over a four-year span, the Brecht-led senior class became the winningest class in program history.
Edelmann, Mullins and Pless were named All-Americans by the USILA, marking the fourth straight year RU had multiple All-Americans. The Scarlet Knights set a program record with four All-Big Ten selections and three All-Big Ten First Team honorees (Edelmann, Mullins and Adam Charalambides). Max Edelmann was named Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Year, marking the fifth Big Ten individual award winner in five years as a Big Ten member under Coach Brecht. Brecht was also tabbed to serve as the head coach for the Division I/II South Team in the 2019 USILA North/South Senior All-Star Game.
Rutgers has achieved great success in the classroom under Brecht's leadership. In the fall semester of 2018, Rutgers compiled a 3.2 team GPA, the highest since Brecht took over the program, in addition to 16 Dean's List selections and four student-athletes achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. The spring semester of 2019 saw another program record with 24 academic All-Big Ten selections.
In 2018 under Brecht's leadership, the Scarlet Knights compiled a 9-6 season. That was highlighted by ranked wins over No. 17 Lehigh, No. 12 Syracuse, No. 17 Michigan and No. 11 Penn State. The team qualified for its second ever Big Ten Tournament appearance. RU had three All-Americans for the first time since 2003, as Jules Heningburg and Michael Rexrode were named to the Second Team and Christian Mazzone was an Honorable Mention selection. Rexrode was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, joining Heningburg as a First Team All-Big Ten selection, with Mazzone on the second team.
The team continued to excelled both on the field and in the classroom. In addition to winning 30 games over their last three seasons, Brecht's 2018 senior class graduated with over a combined 3.0 GPA, and had a program record 20 Academic All-Big Ten selections. Mazzone and Rexrode were named Scholar All-Americans, giving RU seven Scholar All-Americans in the past four years.
The 2017 season saw Rutgers complete a 10-4 campaign, recording double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. The Scarlet Knights were nationally ranked each week of the season, and rose at one point to No. 1 in the nation in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, the program's first-ever top ranking. RU earned victories over four ranked foes in No. 3 Ohio State, No. 14 Stony Brook, No. 15 Princeton and No. 19 Brown. Brecht mentored two All-Americans, as defenseman Michael Rexrode was named a Third Team All-American and attackman Jules Heningburg was an Honorable Mention All-American.
In 2016, Brecht led Rutgers to one of the largest turnarounds in Division I lacrosse, improving the team's record to 11-5. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Scarlet Knights tied the program record for wins, defeating three ranked opponents (No. 9 Johns Hopkins, No. 10 Johns Hopkins, No. 17 Penn State).
Brecht mentored a pair of players that were named All-Americans in Scott Bieda and Zack Sikora. Bieda, a Third Team All-American, was also the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten Selection, All-ECAC and a Tewaaraton Award Semifinalist. He had 28 goals, 38 assists and 66 points, leading the Big Ten in both assists and points. Sikora, an Honorable Mention All-American was also an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection and All-ECAC selection as a long-stick midfielder. Additionally, the pair was also named Scholar All-Americans.
Brecht also tutored two other all-conference attackmen. Jules Heningburg was a First Team All-Big Ten selection. He scored 39 goals with 21 assists for 60 points, and led Big Ten with 18 goals and 26 points in conference games alone.
Adam Charalambides was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The Canadian attackman scored 43 goals, tied for fifth most in a season at RU history, and most for a first-year player.
In 2015, Brecht guided RU through the transition into the inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet Knights earned five wins, highlighted by a 17-10 win over No. 10 Ohio State in the season finale.
Under Brecht's tutelage, senior Joe Nardella established himself as one of the top faceoff men in the nation. Nardella won 223-of-333 faceoffs for a 67.0 winning percentage that was third in the nation, and was third in the nation with 8.33 ground balls per game. He was named a Third Team All-American, the 205th All-American in program history. Nardella was drafted by the MLL's Boston Cannons, and began his professional career after his senior season concluded.
Three players earned All-Big Ten accolades in 2015. Nardella was chosen as the Big Ten Specialist of the Year and was a First Team All-Big Ten selection. Junior captain Scott Bieda, who led the team with 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points, was also a First Team All-Big Ten selection. Junior midfielder Zack Sikora was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. Senior captain Brian Goss was selected as the Sportsmanship Honoree.
Additionally, Campbell Sode was recognized for his academic achievements, as he joined Nardella as a USILA Scholar All-American and was named a Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award winner by the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers had 14 players in total named to the 2015 All-Big Ten Academic Team.
In 2014, Brecht led the Scarlet Knights to its best season in 10 years in the final year as part of the BIG EAST Conference. RU posted an 8-8 record, its most wins since the 2004 team went 8-6. The Scarlet Knights made their first BIG EAST Championship since joining the conference in 2010, their first postseason appearance since 2004. RU posted an 8-7 mark in regular season play, its best winning percentage in the regular season since the 2007 team went 7-6. Rutgers tallied three BIG EAST victories, its most in a season since joining the league.
Brecht mentored four Second Team All-BIG EAST members in 2014: attackman Scott Bieda, defender Nick Contino, midfielder Joe Nardella, and midfielder Anthony Terranova. Nardella finished fifth nationally with a .632 face-off winning percentage (206-of-326), and was fourth in the country with 9.79 ground balls per game.
Brecht's squad continued to achieve high marks academically in 2014, as 28 members of the program were named to the conference All-Academic Team.
In 2013, Brecht coached goalkeeper Kris Alleyne, who earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the year honors, after the freshman finished the season fourth in the nation with 14.00 saves per game and seventh in the country with a .596 save percentage. Under Brecht's tutelage, faceoff specialist Joe Nardella earned Second Team All-BIG EAST recognition after finishing fourth in the nation with a .622 faceoff win percentage.
In the classroom, the squad earned 20 BIG EAST All-Academic Team selections in 2013, with the 20 players recording a minimum GPA of 3.00 for the academic year.
In his first season at the helm of the Scarlet Knights in 2012, Brecht helped senior midfielder Will Mangan to a long list of accolades, both on the field and in the classroom. Academically, he was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-America Team. On the field, Brecht guided the co-captain to other honors including BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, All-BIG EAST First Team, a USILA/LaxWorld North-South Classic participant and USILA All-American Honorable Mention. Mangan was picked up and played professionally on Major League Lacrosse's Long Island Lizards and is now a member of the Denver Outlaws. The head coach also produced student-athletes in year one, leading 23 of his players to BIG EAST All-Academic Team recognition, which was tied for the most of any Rutgers squad that season.
Prior to arriving "On the Banks" he served a seven-year tenure as head coach at Siena College. A native of Long Island, N.Y. and a former Rutgers assistant coach, Brecht was a three-time MAAC Coach of the Year at Siena and led the Saints to multiple conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances and the program's first ever national ranking.
Brecht, who led Siena to 57 victories (57-28) in his last five seasons there, is the 11th head coach in the history of the Rutgers men's lacrosse program. He came to Rutgers after leading Siena to new heights. Under his direction, the Saints earned four MAAC regular season championships and two MAAC tournament crowns, while also making the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. He was named the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2005, 2007 and 2009, while being cited as the Siena College Coach of the Year in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Siena's 57 victories from 2007-11 included 22-straight MAAC wins and 13-consecutive home victories. The Saints' 57 wins over that span marked the sixth highest victory total in the nation, trailing only the likes of Duke, Virginia, Syracuse, Cornell and Notre Dame.
Thirty-five players earned All-MAAC honors under Brecht and 41 were cited as Academic All-Conference, including a trio of Academic All-Americans. Brent Herbst, who became the first Siena and MAAC player drafted by the Major Lacrosse League, was a two-time USILA All-American. In total, Brecht developed four USILA All-Americans, three North-South All-Star selections, three MAAC Rookies of the Year, three MAAC Offensive Players of the Year and three MAAC Defensive Players of the Year at Siena.
In his last season at Siena, the Saints tallied a program-record 13 wins and finished the season nationally ranked (No. 20) in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll for the first time in school history. The squad advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where it dropped a tightly contested match to No. 1 Syracuse.
Prior to his arrival in Loudonville, Brecht spent nine seasons as an assistant coach with five different schools. He made stops at Hartwick (1995-97), Penn (1997-99), Army (1999-00), Rutgers (2000-01) and Loyola (2001-04). While "On the Banks," Brecht worked under head coach Bill Dirrigl and served as the Scarlet Knights' interim head coach in October 2001.
A graduate of Sachem High School on Long Island, Brecht played collegiate lacrosse at Springfield (Mass.) College. He earned a bachelor of science in physical education from Springfield in 1995.
Brecht and his wife Gabrielle are the proud parents of a 10-year old daughter named Paige, six-year old son, Parker, and one-year old daughter Bailey.
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