Brian Stith, a former two-time All-American at Arizona State University, returns for his second season as an assistant coach for the Sun Devils in 2008-09 and will once again work with the lower-weight wrestlers in the program. Stith also will assist with the day-to-day administrative operations of the program.
In his first season on staff, Stith helped mentor several rookies in their first collegiate action, including three redshirt freshmen that advanced to the finals of the Pac-10 Championships. With Stith in their corner, rookies Anthony Robles (125) and Chris Drouin (141) each placed second in their first league event while senior Patrick Pitsch (165) captured his third conference crown. All three Sun Devils competed in the NCAA Championships with all three advancing to the Round of 12 at the national meet, just one victory shy of All-America accolades.
A native of Hampton, Va., Stith as a member of the Sun Devil program for five years and was the team's starter at 157 pounds during his four collegiate seasons. Stith compiled a career record of 114-33 while in Tempe and ranks as the 12th-winningest Sun Devil in program history. His 55-16 record in dual competition gives him the eight-most dual victories in program history as well. On January 12, 2007, he scored a fall at 1:18 over Beau Fisher (Virginia) at the Virginia Duals to become the 22nd Sun Devil to record 100 victories in a career.
Stith, who graduated from Arizona State in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism, was a two-time All-American, placing sixth at the 2005 NCAA Championships before placing as the national runner-up in 2006 as the tournament's No. 10 seed. He also was a two-time Pac-10 Conference Champion, winning his crowns in 2005 and 2007 and placing second in 2006. During his time as a competitor, the Sun Devils captured two Pac-10 titles (2005 and 2006) and recorded a pair of national Top 15 finishes at the NCAA meet, placing 13th in 2005 and sixth in 2006.