GoPack Press Release: Breese Hired as Wrestling Director of Operations

Original article published here. 

Raleigh, N.C. - NC State wrestling head coach Pat Popolizio has announced the hire of Jeff Breese as the Pack's Director of Operations to round out his first staff. Breese, a former wrestler at NC State, spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois.

"Jeff will be taking over a lot of day-to-day tasks and assist in managing all aspects of the program," said Popolizio. "He will be a big asset administratively which will allow our staff to spend more time and energy on the development of our student-athletes.

"We're excited to have Jeff on our staff. He has had a variety of experiences working at different levels of wrestling and outside of wrestling. He brings a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of our sport. He will have an immediate impact on our program. As a graduate of NC State, he will be valuable in helping us build relationships with our alumni."

During his two seasons at Northern Illinois, Breese coached four NCAA qualifiers, and recently completed the NWCA Leadership Academy.

Jeff Breese joined the Huskies coaching staff after three seasons of collegiate coaching in Pennsylvania. Breese's coaching career began in 2006 as an assistant at Division II Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa. During his two years at Seton Hill, Breese coached two NCAA qualifiers and one NCAA All-American. He also played a large role in recruiting student-athletes and building the brand new program.

Also, Breese spent the 2009-2010 season as the head coach at Penn State-New Kensington, once again building a new program from the ground floor.

Additionally, he has found great success coaching at the high school level. Breese worked closely with both Iron Horse Wrestling Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Flight Time Wrestling Club in Claysville, Pa. While coaching at these clubs, he helped produce numerous state champions, state medalists, Cadet/Junior National All-Americans, and several NCAA Division I and II recruits. 

Breese wrestled collegiately with the Pack from 2002-06. Despite an injury-plagued career, Breese was a three-year starter and a member of the Wolfpack's 2004 ACC championship team.

Coming to NC State as one of the top recruits in the country, Breese was a two-time PIAA State Champion for McGuffey High School and a four-time Cadet Nationals All-American. Breese was also a key contributor to the 1998-1999 McGuffey team that finished ranked as the No. 2 high school team in the country.

Breese, a native of Claysville, Pa., earned a BA in Communications in 2006 from NC State.s