Naval Academy Wrestling Camp Staff
Head Coach United States Naval Academy
Navy wrestling coach Bruce Burnett is in his seventh season at the helm of the Navy wrestling program. Burnett came to Annapolis fresh off a coaching stint in Sydney, Australia, where he served as the United States Olympic Freestyle Coach at the 2000 Olympic Games. His athletes captured one gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
The 2004-05 edition of the Navy wrestling team was among the best in school history, posting a 12-3 overall record, losing to top 10-ranked foes Oklahoma, Nebraska and Lehigh. It marked the Mids' fourth-consecutive season with at least 10 dual wins. Navy finished third at the EIWA Championship, its highest finish since the 1995 tournament, and sent six wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament, the most since 1991. Navy also claimed the top spot in the Navy Classic (first time since 1997) and placed third at the extremely-competitive Southern Scuffle.
In 2003-04, Burnett led the Mids to a 12-4 overall mark. Navy placed sixth in the EIWA Tournament, its third top-six finish in four years under Burnett. It was a sign of things to come in 2004-05.
In Burnett's first season with the Navy wrestling team, he helped guide Mark Conley to a fifth-place finish in the 141-pound weight class at the 2001 NCAA Championship and garner All-America honors. Conley, who won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) championship at 141 pounds two-straight seasons, battled to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championship in 2002. He was ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the season and was the first Navy wrestler to achieve All-America status since Greg Gingeleskie placed seventh at the 1998 NCAA Championship. Conley's fifth-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championship is the highest for a Navy wrestler since 1994 when Dan Hicks placed fifth in the heavyweight division.
Four years ago, Burnett coached Frank Edwards to a seventh-place finish and All-America honors at the NCAA Championship. Edwards captured three of his five-NCAA victories by three points or less, as Navy posted an 11-6 overall mark for the second straight season.
Burnett has helped prepare the United States' elite athletes for world and Olympic competition as the national freestyle coach since 1992. HIs resume is nothing short of impressive. His teams won five medals at the 1996 Olympic Games (three gold, one silver and one bronze) and eight medals at the 1999 Pan American Games (six gold, one silver and one bronze). His teams captured World Team Titles in 1993 and 1995, the World Cup of Wrestling in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and the Pan American Championship in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996.
During that time, Burnett coached Kurt Angle, Tom Brands, Kendal Cross, Kevin Jackson, Brandon Slay and John Smith to Olympic gold medals, while cornering Terry Brands, Tom Brands, Angle, Jackson and Smith to World Championships.
He was named the Freestyle Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and was named the United States Olympic Committee Elite Coach of the Year in 1996. He has been named a finalist for the 2004 Olympic Freestyle Staff.
At the conclusion of Navy's 2001-02 season, Burnett served as the head coach of the United States World Cup Team at the 2002 Freestyle World Cup of Wrestling Championship in Spokane, Wash.
Before taking over as head coach of the freestyle team, Burnett was the Associate Director of Programs and National Development Coach for USA Wrestling for three years. Burnett developed a national technique and training syllabus and was responsible for the United States age group world teams. During his time as the developmental coach, the age group teams won a total of 42 medals, an increase of 82 percent over the previous four years. Burnett also served on the 1992 Olympic Freestyle and Greco-Roman coaching staffs.
Burnett was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State from 1987-90 and in his four years with the Cowboys, OSU won two NCAA team titles, three Big Eight Conference titles and two National Dual Meet team titles.
Burnett got his coaching career started at Meridian High School in Meridian, Idaho, where he was the head coach from 1974-87. In his 14 years, Burnett had a stout record of 154-13-2 (.917). His teams won nine conference, six district and four state championships. Burnett built such a solid program at Meridian that his program grew from 23 wrestlers his first year to 119 his last season. He was named Idaho Coach of the Year six times.
Burnett is a 1973 graduate of Idaho State, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education.
Burnett and his wife, Karen, live in Annapolis, Md.
Brian Antonelli
Assistant Coach United States Naval Academy
Naval Academy graduate Brian Antonelli is in his first season as an assistant coach at his alma mater. A former two-year wrestling letterwinner for the Midshipmen and former Captain in the Marine Corps, Antonelli joined the program in August and brings with him a wealth of experience and leadership both on and off the mat to the Navy wrestling program.
"In preparing to hire a new assistant coach, I knew what our needs were," said Burnett, who is in his seventh season guiding the Midshipman program. "Brian Antonelli more than fits the needs of the program. He is a Naval Academy graduate with a strong military background and he comes from a wrestling family that is known throughout the East Coast. Brian is 100 percent invested in this sports, as is his entire family.
"I worked with Brian a couple of years ago when he was the team's officer representative. I told him then that if I ever had the opportunity to hire him on as a coach, I would do everything possible to get him here. I couldn't be happier to have Brian accept this position and be back on board with Navy wrestling. He will be a huge asset to the program."
"I am excited to be back at the Naval Academy," said Antonelli. "I'm looking forward to helping the midshipmen meet their goals as wrestlers and as future officers within the fleet."
In August of 2005, Antonelli left the Marine Corps and earned his first coaching position when The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey hired him as its head wrestling coach. There he helped mold two New Jersey Prep State Champions and one of his pupils garnered All-America recognition at the national tournament. In addition to his wrestling duties, he served as quarterback and special teams coach of the football team.
A New Jersey native, Antonelli graduated from the McDonogh School in 1992 where was was the Maryland State Wrestling Champion at 160 pounds and a two-time all-state football player. He went on to spend a year at Blair Academy in 1993, winning the 160-pound prep state title and was the quarterback of the undefeated state championship football team.
As a member of the Midshipmen wrestling team, he earned letters in 1996 and `97. As a senior, he was the recipient of the H.McCoy Memorial Award, given to that midshipmen that displays the "highest degree of athletic leadership and competitive spirit." Antonelli graduated from the Naval Academy in 1997 and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the Marine Corps.
Prior to receiving his first assignment in the Marine Corps as Production Control Officer for MALS 26 in 1998, he spent five months wrestling for the Marine Corps team in Quantico. Between August of 1999 and `02, he was the MMCO for HMM-266 and for the 24th MEU. In the summer of 2001, he participated in Operation Rapid Cheetah where he patrolled the borders between Kosovo and Bosnia.
In August of 2002, Antonelli returned to the Naval Academy where he served as an Admissions Officer for three years and was a USMC Green Belt instructor. In addition, he returned to his wrestling roots and served as the officer representative for the Midshipmen wrestling program.
Antonelli's older brother, Jay, is a 1992 graduate of the Naval Academy and was a two-year letterwinner for the Midshipmen wrestling team. He has continued his involvement in the wrestling community serving on the Greco-Roman coaching staff at the 2000 and `04 Olympic Games, as well as many other U.S. international tour teams. In addition, he served as the head coach of the 2002 World Cup team and four CISM World Military Championship teams. In 1998, he was named the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. A Major in the Marine Corps, he is currently stationed in Virginia Beach, Va.
Antonelli and his wife, Susie, are the parents of two daughters, Katie (5) and Samantha (2), and an infant son, Christopher.
Scott Owen
Assistant Coach United States Naval Academy
Entering his second season as an assistant coach on Bruce Burnett's staff is Scott Owen who came aboard last October.
Owen came to Navy from Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill., where he helped lead the Huskies to national recognition on the mats. He served as as a volunteer and assistant coach at the MAC school from 2003-05, where he helped coach seven NCAA Championship qualifiers.
A 2008 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling hopeful and member of the New York Athletic Club, he continues his training to become a member of the USA Olympic Team in Beijing, China. Owen is coming off a sensational performance at the Sunkist International Open in October where he knocked off Tyrone Lewis in the semifinals, 1-1, 2-0. Lewis is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. and was the 2006 World Team Trials Runner-up and World Team Alternate. In the gold-medal match, Owen faced Kirk White who was the 2005 Team Trials Runner-up and World Team Alternate. White was also the the No. 2-ranked wrestler at 74 KG in 2005. Owen made it a clean sweep with a 1-1, 0-1, 4-0 victory over White to claim the title.
In the past year, Owen was a Freestyle World Team Trials qualifier at 74 kilograms and has been ranked as high as sixth in the country. Additionally, he was a bronze medalist at the Poland International Open and the 2005 Sunkist International Open. Seeded sixth at the US Open, he dislocated his elbow during the tournament and was forced to bow out.
As a collegiate wrestler at Northern Illinois, Owen was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American, placing fifth at 157 pounds in 2002 and 2003. He was the nation's top-ranked wrestler during the 2002-03 season and was a three-time Mid-American Conference champion. He ended his career as the all-time wins leader in Northern Illinois history and is just one of three Northern Illinois wrestlers to finish his career as a two-time All-American.
Owen came to Northern Illinois as a three-time New Mexico state champion and was a two-time member of the ASICS All-American Team in 1996 and 1997.
He also excelled in the classroom, where he graduated for NIU with a 3.63 GPA in biological sciences with an emphasis in pre-med and a minor in chemistry. He was a two-time member of the NWCA First-team Academic All-America Team and was named to the Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team in 2002. He was a four-time Dean's List honoree and a five-time Northern Illinois Victory Scholar, which is awarded to athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher. He is currently seeking a master's degree in sport management from Northern Illinois.
Jacob Clark
• 2006 USA Greco World Team Member
• 2006 USA Greco National Champ
• 2004 USA Olympic Team trial runner up
• All-Marine Wrestler
Guest Clinicians
Lloyd Keaser
1976 Olympic Silver Medal winner
1975 Pan-American Champion
1973 World Champion
Two-time All-American, 3x EIWA Conference Champion
Lou Rosselli
Assistant Coach at Edinboro University
1996 Olympic Team Member
U.S. National Champion, World Cup Champion
NCAA All-American
Wayne Hicks
United States Naval Academy Graduate
NCAA Finalist
NCAA All-American
High School Coach in Maryland
Sam Gardner
Head Coach McDaniel College, Westminster Maryland
John Lowe
Head Coach Maryland High School
Grand National A.A.U Championship
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