Brenner Tabbed NSCAA National Assistant of the Year
12/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
NSCAA Coaches of the Year Show
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMSoccer)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After taking the Glenn "Mooch" Myernick Assistant Coach of the Year award for the NSCAA's South region last Thursday, Wake Forest men's soccer assistant coach Dane Brenner has been named the National Assistant Coach of the Year, the NSCAA announced Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm extremely humbled and thankful for the recognition," Brenner said of the award. "I'm very fortunate to have the opportunities I've been given and owe it all to the people who've been involved in my development as a coach. I'd be remiss not to thank my amazing wife, family, friends, the WFU soccer family and all of the coaches who have helped guide me thus far in my career. I truly believe Wake Forest is a special place and I couldn't ask to work in a better environment with better people. I love the players I get to work with each day and want to give them recognition because they make working hard an easy thing to do."
Brenner is the second Wake Forest coach to garner National Assistant Coach of the Year honors. The first was Carson Porter in 2008 when both he and former head coach Jay Vidovich swept the national NSCAA Coach of the Year awards.
The 2015 season was Brenner's fifth in Winston-Salem. Working primarily with the defensive unit and serving as the program's recruiting coordinator, Brenner helped Wake Forest post one of its best seasons in program history this year in only allowing 13 goals. The figure ties for the lowest goals against total in Wake Forest history. Brenner also helped Alec Ferrell to his best season as a Demon Deacon thus far, as Ferrell finished with eight shutouts and a 0.66 goals against average. Most of the season, Ferrell flirted with Brian Edwards' 2007 record of a 0.50 goals against average, but ultimately came up a bit short. Overall this season, Wake Forest posted a 0.58 GAA, which came just 0.06 off the record of 0.52, set in 2007.
An assistant coach for nine seasons at Connecticut (2007-10) and Wake Forest (2011-present), Brenner's teams have never missed the NCAA Championship. As a coach, his best runs in the tournament came in Elite Eight runs in 2007 and 2015 and Sweet 16 appearances in 2008 and 2013.
"Dealing with a coaching change is never an easy task but the work Dane put in this spring and fall has been paramount for the team's success both on and off the field," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "I am extremely happy our coaches association recognized him for this award. We collectively have one of the best young coaching staffs in the nation and Dane helps prove that in his daily efforts."
The award is named after Glenn "Mooch" Myernick, who formerly served as an assistant coach at Hartwick College and for the U.S. National Team, and is designed to highlight outstanding assistant coaches in the college game. Myernick's son, Travis Myernick, was a volunteer assistant coach at Wake Forest during the Deacs' 2008 and 2009 College Cup runs.
